Indiana Fever thrash Las Vegas Aces as Caitlin Clark returns from injury
Caitlin Clark successfully returned from a back injury as the Indiana Fever secured a dominant 109-75 victory over defending WNBA champions the Las Vegas Aces.
The emphatic 34-point win marked the second time in just eight days that Indiana has defeated the title holders on their home court.
Clark, who missed two recent games due to back spasms, played 24 minutes and contributed 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Mitchell continues stellar scoring streak
While the returning rookie point guard drew the pre-match spotlight, it was team-mate Kelsey Mitchell who anchored the offensive masterclass.
The veteran guard poured in a game-high 27 points, marking her sixth consecutive appearance reaching at least the 25-point milestone.
Frontcourt duo Aliyah Boston and Sophie Cunningham also dominated proceedings, scoring 19 and 20 points respectively in a highly efficient shooting display.
The visitors hit the 100-point mark for a league-leading eighth time this season, shooting a clinical 56% from the field.
‘We got our butts kicked’
For the hosts, it was a drastic reversal of fortune following a gruelling schedule of three games in four days.
The defending champions entered the contest fresh from a 48-point demolition of Phoenix on Saturday, but suffered a historic 82-point swing in point differential overnight.
“Maybe we just didn’t have the juice today,” admitted Las Vegas head coach Becky Hammon.
“Every team has a rough patch in the schedule where it’s just difficult.”
Aces star A’ja Wilson, who recently returned from her own leg injury, registered 20 points and 12 rebounds but offered no excuses for the heavy defeat.
“We got our butts kicked tonight,” the two-time MVP conceded.
“We just didn’t show up as ourselves. We are the standard in my eyes, but when you have to show up and be excellent every single night, it gets hard.”
Fever build crucial momentum
Indiana’s commanding performance tied their largest ever margin of victory against the Aces franchise, matching a record set back in 2003.
Head coach Stephanie White praised her squad’s resilience following a demanding four-game West Coast road trip.
“I thought our team was tough-minded,” White noted.
“We’re building consistency to these types of efforts. We’re not always going to shoot the ball the way that we did, but I thought we found the best shot on the floor.”
The Fever will now return to Indianapolis for a critical four-game home stand ahead of the WNBA All-Star break.