Caitlin Clark overcomes illness to lead Indiana Fever past Atlanta Dream
Caitlin Clark overcame a bout of half-time sickness to record 17 points and eight assists as the Indiana Fever defeated the Atlanta Dream 83-71 in their Commissioner’s Cup opener in Indianapolis.
The talismanic guard vomited in the locker room at the interval but returned to help snap a two-game losing streak for the hosts.
It capped a tumultuous six-day period for the reigning Cup champions, following a recent heated sideline exchange between the star playmaker and head coach Stephanie White.
Defensive improvements follow crisis talks
A heavy 100-84 defeat by the Portland Fire on Monday had prompted a candid team meeting to address ongoing locker-room frustrations.
Those clear-the-air discussions yielded immediate defensive results against a struggling Atlanta side.
Entering the contest ranked 13th in the league for defensive scoring, the Indiana outfit restricted their opponents to a mere 29 points in the first half.
“We hit first, we were the aggressor, and our grit and toughness was as good as it’s been all year long,”
said coach White.
Mitchell reaches milestone amid fierce rivalry
While the highly-anticipated fixture renewed a fierce rivalry with Dream center Angel Reese, backcourt partner Kelsey Mitchell delivered a game-high 25 points.
The impressive scoring display pushed the veteran guard past the 5,000 career points milestone.
“When you have hard conversations as a group, you pour into one another,”
Mitchell explained regarding the recent internal shift.
“Talent gets us there, but team camaraderie and just being honest about where we are as a group keeps us there.”
Playing through the pain
Despite Mitchell’s scoring heroics, it was the physical resilience of the league’s standout attraction that dominated post-match discussions.
Addressing the media with a towel draped over her shoulders, the home point guard admitted her voice was gravelly from the sudden illness.
“I haven’t puked that much in a really long time, but then I felt fine,”
she revealed.
“I felt light, so I was running around feeling good in the second half.”