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    • Indiana Fever has no answer for Napheesa Collier in loss to Lynx
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    Indiana Fever has no answer for Napheesa Collier in loss to Lynx

    Vaseline Posted on

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    MINNEAPOLIS — The Indiana Fever lost their rematch against the Minnesota Lynx 90-80 at the Target Center on Saturday night, ending Indiana’s two-game winning streak.

    The Lynx secured a playoff spot with the win, while the Fever fell to 13-16 on the season. Indiana remains seventh in the WNBA standings, ahead of the Sky, who are 11-17.

    ‘Pace and pace’: Lynx coach reveals Caitlin Clark’s biggest assets for Fever

    Here are three observations:

    Fever can’t match MVP candidate Napheesa Collier

    The first time the Fever was at Target Center, they pulled off a convincing win over one of the top three teams in the league. It was part of a turnaround for the Fever, who are now firmly in playoff position.

    It was a good win for the Fever — a surprising one that gave them new life. But it also came as the Lynx’ best player and league MVP candidate, Napheesa Collier, was nursing a foot injury.

    This time, she was completely healthy — and it didn’t even look like it was her third game in four days. Collier was coming off a 23-point, 18-rebound effort to lead the Lynx to a win over the Las Vegas Aces, and she had more to offer on Saturday.

    Collier stymied the Fever defense, with the coaching staff putting multiple players on the Lynx star. No one could stop her as she scored 31 points on 12 of 18 shooting in 35 minutes to lead Minnesota to a 10-point victory.

    Temi Fagbenle returns to the rotation

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    After two consecutive injuries, Temi Fagbenle is set to return for Fever

    The athletic attacker had already earned a place in Fever’s starting line-up before her injury and provides extra depth in the battle for the play-offs.

    Fever striker Temi Fagbenle started the season with a lot of potential: she impressed as a participant in the training camp, earned a place in the selection and was in the starting line-up early in the season.

    Then she injured her foot, which put her out for a month. Immediately after recovering from her foot injury, she injured her thumb and was out for three games later. In total, Fagbenle had played only 11 games up to and including Saturday.

    In the end she was able to make 12 of them.

    She had a bandage on her right thumb, but that didn’t stop her from making an immediate impact on defense. The Fever’s defense was noticeably better when Fagbenle, as well as reserve center Damiris Dantas, were on the court. They overcame a 12-point first-quarter deficit to go into halftime trailing by just one point.

    Fagbenle, who took over NaLyssa Smith’s starting job before her injury, quickly cut into Smith’s time on the court. Smith started the game but ultimately played only 10 minutes. Fagbenle played 16 in her return from injury, going 2 of 4 and grabbing five rebounds.

    Lexie Hull gets important minutes off the bench

    Fever guard Lexie Hull has always been known as the Fever’s defensive maestro, typically handling the toughest defensive duties. But Hull made a name for herself on the offensive end last Sunday, hitting 6 of 7 3-pointers for a career-high 22 points in a win over the Storm.

    Almost a week later, that has resulted in more playing time for the third-year guard.

    Hull ultimately played 25 minutes on the 3-line against the Lynx on Saturday; it cost starter Katie Lou Samuelson some minutes, who played just 14.

    Hull continued to be a defensive threat, making sure her hands were in opponents’ faces and primarily taking on the task of guarding Collier and Lynx guard Kayla McBride. Several people, including Smith and Fagbenle, were also tasked with guarding Collier on Saturday night.

    How many points did Caitlin Clark score against Lynx?

    Clark on Saturday night became the first rookie and fastest player in WNBA history to score more than 500 points and more than 200 assists in her career.

    Clark finished the game with 23 points (8 of 18 shooting), eight assists, five rebounds and seven turnovers.

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