Without Olivia Miles in the lineup, the Indiana Fever took care of business against the Minnesota Lynx, winning 96-77.
Fever guard Caitlin Clark dominated, scoring 27 points and adding 9 assists, 7 rebounds, and 4 steals. Clark proved to the Lynx that she is an elite talent and did it all for Indiana.
One aspect of her game that is becoming obvious in the last few games is her ability to attack the paint and take the hits. That’s something she’s focused on this season.
Caitlin Clark Opened Up About Being More Physical After Indiana Fever Win
Clark spoke with the media after the game when asked about improving her hand-to-hand combat and playing through contact. She’s not afraid of it.
“I invite that. I like that now,” Clark said via The Athletic’s James Boyd. “I think there’s a lot of different ways to manipulate that. … It’s helped me learn defensively, too. How I can be a little bit more physical.”
“I invite that. I like that now. … I think there’s a lot of different ways to manipulate that. … It’s helped me learn defensively, too. How I can be a little bit more physical.”
Before the Lynx game, Clark had two straight games where she attempted at least 10 free throws. She made 22-of-22 free throws in that span. She was also a perfect 6-of-6 from the free-throw line against Minnesota.
During the press conference, she followed up on her embrace of the physicality of her game. For Clark, it’s all in her mind.
“I think it’s a mentality.”
“If they’re gonna be physical, I’m gonna be physical right back with you. I think at times I probably look pretty skinny, but I have a little strength here and there I guess.”
“I think it’s a mentality.”
“If they’re gonna be physical, I’m gonna be physical right back with you. I think at times I probably look pretty skinny, but I have a little strength here and there I guess.” 😂
In 39 games, Clark is averaging 22.8 points, 8.5 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per contest. Clark has posted five straight games with more than 25 points.
Caitlin Clark Hopes to Close the Season Strong With Fever
The Fever are currently 28-15 in the season and sit in fifth place in the WNBA standings. They are tentatively going to face the Atlanta Dream in the playoffs if the standings remain the same.
Clark is gunning for the league MVP award, so she needs to pad her stats to close out the season. The Lynx game proved she can truly do it all for her team.
Indiana has one more game against Minnesota on Thursday before the playoffs begin. Clark has one last chance to keep up the momentum before the postseason begins.
Caitlin Clark Held Nothing Back on New ‘Mentality’ After Fever Win