Indiana Fever stars shine despite Phoenix Mercury’s resilient effort on Friday.
The Indiana Fever handed the Phoenix Mercury a loss on Friday for the second time this season. Phoenix was short-handed and was dealt the cards of adversity even before tip-off. Diana Taurasi, Sug Sutton, and Charisma Osborne were already slated to miss out on Friday’s contest, but just over an hour before the game began, Mercury point guard Natasha Cloud was listed as out with a left knee injury.
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This was rather sudden, as Cloud wasn’t even listed as questionable ahead of time. This took Phoenix’s top guard defender out of the lineup, and last time against Indiana, Cloud went from guarding the likes of Caitlin Clark to Aliyah Boston. Her versatility and tenacity would’ve been a major help, but this wouldn’t be the last domino to fall for the Mercury.
Brittney Griner would be taken out of the game after a hard collision with Indiana guard Lexie Hull. This gave Phoenix just six active players to work with, and although it persevered and nearly clawed back from a 31-point deficit, the injury-riddled Mercury stood no match to the fresh legs of the Fever.
Clark (20 points, 13 assists, two blocks), Boston (21 points, 13 rebounds, two blocks), and NaLyssa Smith (14 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks) became the first trio of teammates in WNBA history to record a double-double and two-plus blocks in the same regular season game.
Kelsey Mitchell also chipped in for Indiana, scoring a team-high 28 points on 11-of-19 shooting. The Fever were far more ready for this moment, largely due to the uncertainty that surrounded the Mercury’s status.
