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    • Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever blowing Chicago Sky, Angel Reese
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    Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever blowing Chicago Sky, Angel Reese

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    CHICAGO — The Indiana Fever officially reached the .500 mark on Friday night with a 100-81 victory over the Chicago Sky, ending a thrilling game with a 3-1 series lead in this burgeoning rivalry.

    The Sky were aggressive all night, committing two flagrant 1 fouls on Fever rookie Caitlin Clark. And without their leading scorer Chennedy Carter, the Sky couldn’t keep up with the Fever, who posted their largest margin of victory (19) of the season. Clark finished with 31 points and 12 assists. Sky rookie Angel Reese had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

    More: Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese were focused on winning games, not Rookie of the Year, says Fever star

    Here are three observations:

    Fever controls most of the match, takes biggest win of the 2024 season

    At one point in the game, the Fever were down 21-9. That didn’t last long.

    After falling behind by 12 points, the Fever went on a 14-5 run of their own to pull within three points at the end of the quarter. Once they got a lead in the second quarter, they never looked back.

    With Sky lacking the speed and space of leading scorer Chennedy Carter due to health and safety protocols, Indiana quickly put up points from the perimeter.

    Indiana made 13 of 29 three-pointers on Friday night, including 5 of 9 shots by Fever rookie Caitlin Clark.

    Clark, in the same building where she first set the Fever single-game record for assists, dished out 12 more to her teammates on Friday night and added 31 points. Kelsey Mitchell scored 23 points, marking her sixth straight game with 20+ points. Temi Fagbenle, who played 18 minutes, had a +/- of 29 despite scoring just three points — a testament to her defensive prowess.

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    Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell talk ‘beautiful’ basketball after Fever beat Sky

    The Indiana Fever are back to .500 after beating the Chicago Sky on Friday night.

    Fever hits .500 for first time since 2022

    Having a .500 record is no mean feat in most leagues. For some, that record doesn’t even get you into the playoffs.

    But for the Fever, it’s an achievement they haven’t noticed in years. Until Friday night.

    With Indiana’s win over the Sky on Friday night, the Fever officially broke .500 for the first time since the 2022 season. That .500 record in 2022 came at the start of the season (2-2) before they lost five straight games to finish 5-31.

    It was a 103-game streak, according to ESPN Stats and Info, with the Fever playing while sub-.500. That’s one less accomplishment for the rising team. On Sunday, they have a chance to do something the franchise hasn’t seen since 2019: have a winning record at any point during the season. Indiana plays away to 8-22 Dallas on Sunday for a shot at that elusive winning record.

    For the Fever, having a .500 record this late in the season is a big deal. Normally, not all teams have a .500 or better record at the end of the season, with eight of the league’s 12 teams making the playoffs.

    With the 2022 No. 2 pick (NaLyssa Smith) and the 2023 and 2024 No. 1 picks (Aliyah Boston, Caitlin Clark), that improvement has been a long time coming for the Fever. This season in particular, it’s a sign of sharp and rapid improvement for a team that hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2016.

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    Confidence in Indiana Fever Grows as Caitlin Clark & ​​Co. Post Wins

    Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell delivered another stellar performance in another Indiana Fever victory, this time in Chicago against the Sky.

    Win Helps Fever’s WNBA Playoffs Implications

    This was a huge game for the Fever in terms of potential playoff implications. A win means the Fever will have the official head-to-head advantage against Chicago in the event of an eventual tie at the bottom of the standings.

    The Fever now have head-to-head series wins over both the Sky and the Atlanta Dream — the two teams battling for the No. 8 spot in the playoffs. So if the Fever were to finish tied with either of those teams in the standings, they would get the more favorable seed.

    That includes the Phoenix Mercury — a team that the Fever swept this season. Both the Fever and Mercury are 16-16 after Indiana’s win, meaning the Fever would officially be in the sixth spot in the playoffs if the season ended today.

    After eight years out of the playoffs, the Fever could easily finish as high as sixth this year.

    How many points did Caitlin Clark score against Sky?

    Caitlin Clark scored 31 points on 8 of 14 shooting (5 of 9 from 3). She also dished out 12 assists and grabbed four rebounds.

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