The Indiana Fever face the Las Vegas Aces in Game 2 of the WNBA semifinals after securing a strong win in the series opener. The bad news for Indiana is that star guard Caitlin Clark will not be available for this matchup.
Clark announced in early September that she would miss the remainder of the season due to a groin injury that had limited her throughout the year. The superstar had already missed 19 straight games before confirming on social media that she would sit out the rest of the playoffs.
Even without Clark, Indiana delivered an impressive 89–73 road win in Game 1. Now, the Fever are looking to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series before returning home with a chance to close it out.
Fever shine in Game 1 win
In the absence of Caitlin Clark, it was guard Kelsey Mitchell who stepped up to lead the Fever. The 29-year-old poured in a postseason career-high 34 points, adding three assists and a rebound in 34 minutes of action to power Indiana past the Aces.
Kelsey Mitchell drives against A’ja Wilson during Game 1. (Ian Maule/Getty Images)
Young forward Aliyah Boston also made a major impact on the defensive end, helping contain league MVP A’ja Wilson. The Aces star was held to 16 points on 6-of-22 shooting, though she still managed to grab 13 rebounds.
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Fever head coach Stephanie White credited her team’s defensive effort against Wilson, while acknowledging the challenge of guarding the four-time MVP. “I think the biggest thing is, she’s the best player in the world,” White said on the In Case You Missed It with Khristina Williams podcast. “And you’re not going to take away what she does best. She missed a lot of shots that she typically makes“.
“We just have to try to keep her off balance and make her shots as tough as possible. I think AB was quoted as saying, ‘I just tried to be annoying.’ And that’s it. You just have to make it as difficult as possible. She’s going to do what she does best. There’s a reason she is a four-time MVP of this league,” she added.
