Fever vs Sparks GAME Highlights [TODAY] (09/04/2024) | WNBA Season 2024

playoff bound Indiana Fever take the floor for the first time oh what's the significance here as this franchise is back in the playoffs you know fun all day today and the ride just getting ready to start the Sparks the number four overall pick in the player of the week as she has put forth year in La after spending seven years in Connecticut against the Dallas Wings Clark on a step back off the mark last time these two teams matched up it was here in Indianapolis this is Odyssey Sims on a hardship deal arguing your face that it was deflected in the beginning Jackson averaging 13 points per game off the mark on her first break and you can't let Kelsey Mitchell get going cuz she has been record she's pulling away a big lead in that category Boston going to work on Stevens and Boston wins the most teams have to play Aaliyah Boston straight up because she is a willing passer and if you bring two she'll find an open three-point shooter so you have to try to go one-on-one at least to start the game to see if you can manage it defensively B have turned it over three times here in the opening three minutes it was something that Caitlyn Clark pinpointed as an area that needs to be improved too many turn over receiver in that win this time it's Indiana with the defense Lexi Hull going Coast to Coast Lexi Hull's play since she became in the starting lineup has been one of the not talked about enough changes for this team she certainly have atic on the defensive end she takes on one of the tougher perimeter assignments and she can shoot the three and she's been really shooting it well since the break her best numbers overall actually in her career here's Mitchell putting on the moves and Mitchell this has been quite a heater for Kelsey Mitchell the leading score in the Eastern Conference out of the Olympic break Hami goes back to work and the scoop shot rolls it in yeah Kelsey Mitchell is shooting better than 45% from the three-point line and it sets up her ability to drive she is a hard check tuck to keep in front Clark step back hits a three there's always a different energy in the building if Caitlyn gets going [Applause] early here is Hami who will fire from three Off the Mark they's missed their first four from out there and Caitlyn Clark looking to push the pace Clark showing off the moves Clark oh to the rim just couldn't finish she did all the hard stuff and then couldn't finish the easy on the other end it's Ria Jackson the rookie with performance in the month of August and continuing here through September now rookie of the month has only been around since 2010 but she's the first player ever to win rookie of the month and player of the month that's courtesy of across the timeline of course that doesn't count Candace Parker's rookie season where she was MVP here is Nelissa Smith fire away and Miss on a three ball Sparks offense just 11th in the WNBA as Odyssey Sims gets inside and finishes they are prone to pull off the upset maybe New York a week ago today they beaten La a couple of times and Odyssey Sims a veteran and played well here on some hardships who was that foul called it on Lexi hle [Applause] so an early five points for Odyssey Sims as Kurt Miller has had to deal with a lot of injuries this year Cameron Brink miscommunication on Indiana's end that's the four turnover so you wonder you clinch the playoffs what's Indiana going to look like when they show up right are they going to lose their focus are they going to just be you know going through the motions here today just miscommunication between Mitchell and Clark have been Talk of the Town here the last couple of days the winning streak they clinched the playoffs all the individual Awards the coaching Awards so they're going to be tested here tonight and La has beaten some of the top teams in the WNBA mental toughness you're right Pat you look at LA's lost seven of eight but the one win is New York the top team in the league there's Boston who gets inside and lays it [Music] in had to say about winning that award saying she felt like Kelsey Mitchell was equally if not more deserving and that she's kind of sharing it with her those two as you touched on have been so Dynamic especially out of the Olympic break Andy just puts her head down and can't finish tipped out to Clark they getting back defensively as Smith gets inside and draws the foul Clark with an early to reach the school Clark said she doesn't like to party there's still a lot of work to be done Kelsey thank you and yeah clinching at midnight this morning last night not exactly the way that maybe you draw it up but still an exciting moment for the franchise question and ahead of schedule right Christy sides also shared that when Rick fusen hired her from Pacer sports and entertainment asked you know how long do you think it's going to take to get the playoffs she said four maybe three she got a four-year contract out of it and in her second year as the head coach and her first head coaching experience she's got the fever in the sixth spot in the playoffs fever have not been there since 2016 to mik Catchings was still playing when that happened Odyssey Sims finds some space but can't hit on a three Clark with the hesitation Clark gets inside and lays it in instead up turning it over Indiana playing downhill right now coming off the timeout and I'm looking for them to keep going to Aaliyah Boston in that match up inside here's Hami fighting through traffic flips it up shot won't fall and Boston comes up with the rebound plus four here on the glass in the early going and Indiana's hit seven of their first 10 shots turned it over four times I love this pistol action in [Music] transition kerson getting some minutes in the first quarter over and back and it's Indiana's fifth turnover once again Caitlyn Clark frustrated on and over and back [Applause] kin I don't think that's endearing to the officials do you I would guess not yeah I don't think so she's arguing that on both of those she kind of put up the two finger on both of those feeling like there was a deflection Christy sides calling Eric BR looking for an explanation see if we can tell that just looked off of Samuelson at least on that one and samelson shaking a little bit of rust [Applause] [Music] too here is Stevens on the roll oh can't finish well they're getting to the rim they're just not [Applause] finishing Mitchell hand off Boston and bounces it back for she was held Harry McDonald who's just checked in called for the hold on Boston one of the not talked about skills of Aaliyah Boston I don't think enough is her screening ability I mean she had 65 understand angle she's good in the twist action she's really good in the short roll and that has evolved over the course of the season that's not something she was doing last year Mitchell catch and shoot whistle there to hit a three and let's check on where this foul is and if it's simultaneous to the shot but we saw the three-point signal being put up there by official Angel Kent so they're going to count the baskets and then who's shooting the free throw here the SP Kati lerson should be the one at the free throw line now Mitchell she's shooting 45% from Beyond The Arc since the break and she's coming off that 36o performance in Dallas she scored over onethird of Indiana's points cuz they scored 100 it's amazing performance by Mitchell and just in case you thought maybe two days off would cool her off she hits her first three shots here tonight Mitchell leads all scores with seven just a stunning run here from Kelsey Mitchell one of the best all time in Fever history Mitchell doing a really good job fronting Ria Jackson and it's McDonald who knocks down a three this is a smaller team on the perimeter right now and there's a misconnection between Boston and Clark they're just a half a beat off on the offensive end tonight as Indiana the shot is falling they're eight of 11 but that's six turnovers in the quarter Indiana did struggle with that in Dallas Clark talking about a pregame saying look we put up a 100 and turned it over way too many times here's Lee Yu Off the Mark first attempt really good defense there P by Indiana Yu is a big young physical post who can run off screening action who can go screen this is a young player that has an incredible upside at 67 playing in her second year in the league here she is number 28 back door pass finds Kia La Miss multiple shots at The Rim here in the first quarter Clark thought about it and McDonald went down and an offensive foul on Indiana that is their seventh turnover here in the quarter there's ktie Lou watch ktie Lou right [Music] there McDonald sets up to draw the charge that's one way to slow down a transition game the Sparks though don't have any points off of the fever turnover so it hasn't hurt them in that regard that will continue now here's Mitchell just weaving her way through the entire defense oh Mitchell get the layup to go such a great change of pace change of Direction so fun to watch Jackson Nice footwork and I think La has missed five or six layups around the rim here in the first quarter oh there's a switch that Kelsey Mitchell's got to light there's a post up action Here Comes help it comes Boston flips the shoulder and it's an offensive foul great job by LA to mix it up right here's a mismatch inside K and nurse under sized against Boston Ham's going to come into your picture right here to bring [Applause] help that offensive foul is indan his eighth turnover of the quarter Burell who's just checked in and nurse dials up a three Nur Kean nurse has made the most triples for La that's her 41st Clark stepping back on the Baseline knocking it down from the mid-range that's a beautiful mid-range step back off one foot we've talked about her Runners and floaters that she worked on in the Olympic break where she's added that to her game as well and Mitchell each have seven [Applause] Donald lobbing it up he wasn't there Burell able to save it in the corner barell attacking the Baseline and draws the [Applause] foul Indiana has not been able to pull away here in the first quarter LA's missed shots around the the rim and Indiana has turned the ball over that's why it's such a low scoring first quarter and Indiana shooting 64% from the floor taking eight eight less shots because of that turnover well off the mark on her first chrisy sides was a little concerned about how her team would show up I mean you just kind of you might relax just a tad you're playing La they've lost seven out of eight you've already clinched the playoffs I think we'll see a much different looking team in the second quarter still a lot on the line seatings wise people have a lot of work to do to try to secure the sixth spot Clark will launch up balance nearly got it to go take us through the first quarter of action with that back court of Clark and Mitchell in this building here tonight of course the W NBA's assist leader in Caitlyn Clark and the NBA's assist leader in Tyrese halberton of the Indiana Pacers can find him underneath the basket had a lot of home games this year it's a lot of appreciation for the WNBA I love Tyrese as a player but then when I watched him in the Olympics and how he managed not getting to play I'm a bigger fan because he is an incredible teammate the Pacers are lucky to have him Conor mcaffrey I mean yeah Conor mcaffrey sitting there next to Tyrese he is on the Pacers staff and a good fortune here if you are a fan of Indiana pro basketball you have maybe the two best passers in the world both in their early 20s and both playing in this building as nurse misses on a three there's Lee battling underneath well it's all about Pace right Indiana pays the Pacers play with the fastest Pace in the in the NBA and you can say that about the Indiana Fever they play at a very fast pace one of the tops in the league certainly after the break for sure give and go there de' Hami and K nurse who connect nurse has five and she was terrific in that Spark's upset win here in May Clark draws the foul and will head to the line just a simple clear out naked side Twan game right here with a switch and Caitlyn Clark going right right handed with a little hesi right here gets her hips and shoulders past Kia nurse to the free throw line paru has the five highest scoring games for a rookie this year to go along with leading the league in assists and you see that number there 8.4 only one player in League history's ever had more than that in a season Courtney Vander slops every night it's a different record it seems like it's a full-time job just trying to keep up with it it sure is which number is more impressive than another that's the thing we don't have time to spend on all the numbers McDonald misses on a three the reigning player of the Week player of the month rookie of the month Clark on the bounce St is charging inside and finishing it's a great read Because Kean nurse stunts at the downhill drive but Lexi Hall is in the corner and you don't want to give up a three to Hull Donald working the Baseline there's barell through traffic and a tough finish so good in that short pick and roll game right here Caitlyn Clark with all post players Smith and dtis but she's best with Boston we looking the way of dtis again backing in on Lee and a foul on the floor going against Lee Yu just good execution right here by Indiana lot the little short roll Clark puts it right into her hands you see the stunt on the on the strong Side by nurse yet dtis takes it all the way to the rim for a bucket and a stunt means it's like a defensive fake Mitchell lost the handle that time on the [Applause] drive here is Nurse stepping back launching and hitting a three nurse Kia nurse who not necessarily known for her three-point shooting but the last time that she was here she hit five threes and the Sparks beat the fever she's knocked down two over three here tonight here is Clark floating it up shot too strong gets her own rebound Mitchell no look oh and Smith denial but on a second effort finishes this is LA's Pace you know Indiana hasn't been able to get any fast break opportunities this might be one right [Applause] here Clark over to [Applause] Mitchell it's the ultimate green light right now if you're Kelsey Mitchell or Lexi Hull behind the three-point line nurse stepping back and rattles that one home so Kia nurse has another good one going first player into double figures here tonight she's done it Off the Bench CL regularly seeing two there in the back court and that is Indiana's 10th turnover here you got to move it quicker you see the blitz Caitlyn gets rid of it quickly you got to move the ball and Hami there to make Indiana pay on the other end well for perspective F return it over 15 times per game this year and that's ninth in the WNBA so it's a little below League average they have 10 turnovers here in less than 14 minutes they have a minus two turnover margin a plus two rebounding margin kind of cancel each other out see H tracking down that rebound Clark putting on the moves Clark right here K nurs right here sets up her three point shooting in her balance in her game by being able to do both go off the bounce and knock down triples and then no ball fake here steal by La and a layup on the other end if hamy gets going that's trouble for Indiana she leads them in scoring at better than 17 points a game he's almost a double double inbound Mitchell with a headful of steam you can just see the confidence brimming on Kelsey Mitchell as she steps into a two not Off the Mark there ody see Sims has check back in here for the Sparks [Music] lety hole sticking right there with Ray barell and Kia nurse has a three ball Rim out Jackson battling Mitchell able to tap it and Lexi Hall long close out moves her feet stops the penetration recovers and rebounds that's what she's been doing to help Indiana ontis over a double team that was a difficult look and Odyssey Sims on the drive draws the foul [Applause] Sparks with a one-point lead Midway through the second here in gamer Fieldhouse at home for the fever is Kean Ur already put together a fine evening 10 points in 10 minutes off the bench and the LA Sparks are second in the W in bench points at 25 points per game is their average Sims is one of two from the line Beaver have won nine of their last 10 in this building it has been a true homec court advantage since the beginning of June six straight coming up here Indiana's only got one more Road game left in the entire season people have just been sloppy here so far well they haven't gotten anything easy they've had to execute in the quarter court and now La is starting to make shots and they're getting back in transition so they're getting the matchups they want when you score you can naturally match up with who you want to to defend if you're playing in transition that's where Indiana can get you with some mismatches inside for Boston and there's a foul on Stevens you don't see many times where Caitlyn and Aaliyah don't connect but right here like a is not at the right angle to receive that pass and that's a tough pass by Caitlyn especially when aiyah is trying to fight for position in the paint Mitchell trying to get this Indiana offense kick started that'll help Kelsey Mitchell 14 times this season she's been over the 20po mark he's got 90 threes on the season and Stevens answers with a three AER Stevens a Stevens went to Cary High School in Cary North Carolina home of the imps same place as me if I had any records there gone they've been gone Clark good feed into Boston with deep position lays it in we share that in common me and azire and we love going back to car and get some shots up here's azire again oh doing her best Debbie antelli come on azer backto back triple she's a 35% three-point shooter she's 66 she's got the three and the D now Boston on the other end oh shot too strong there got right to the rim LA's hit six threes they're using a lot of the formula that worked here back in may knock down the three and forc the turnover that time the Sparks give it back that's just the second turnover on Los Angeles here and the fever have turned it over over 11 times and for Kurt Miller who has been a longtime coach in this league very successful coach of the Connecticut Sun been former coach of the year and executive of the year in this league and he loves coming back to the state of Indiana where he has a home he's a longtime college coach at Bowling Green and at Indiana really good guy Sims able to flip that one in part of our gold medal winning Olympic coaching staff as well [Music] oh feeding inside for dtis we can see a concerted effort here by Indiana to try to feed the post which we haven't seen a ton of over the last few games there's fast and then there's acceleration and fast is north and south acceleration through their cuts through their actions right now is just a beat off not the way we've seen Indiana play offensively and I want to say la has something to do with that because they're getting back in transition and not letting Indiana get anything easy worth noting that the Sparks have just about secured the number one Lottery spot too you don't like to think that would come into play late in the year but realistically sometimes it does it's a two-year rolling average in the WNBA and there's a four game gap between them and Washington so from that perspective There's real no issue with LA winning here down the stretch and they beat New York last week they've knocked off Vegas a couple of times they've got some impressive wins despite the fact that they're it's part of the reason why they've got this five-point lead here in the second quarter they lost by 18 against Atlanta on Sunday and hit just three threes all afternoon so they've doubled Sunday's total here in the first half and they've taken good care of the ball despite that play just their third turnover you I had a chance to go to La's practice yesterday in the Indiana Fever practice court coach Miller allowed me in there it's always a learning laboratory when you're in the gym with these coaches in the W because they work so hard at their schemes and they work hard at putting their personnel in the right spots it was really fun to be in another team's practice in the league here's Burell fighting inside and getting the roll so Boston has 10 Ray Burell packing a punch Off the Bench she's got eight bench has 21 of their 44 points as Boston back door cut it's Mitchell and that play has worked in the second half of the season Leah Boston does a great job of setting up Kelsey Mitchell you dribble right at Mitchell's Defender and let her v-cut back door and she's just too quick barell to switch on to Boston Boston just pounding her there on the perimeter Sims off the screen drive it into samelson and denied what a tremendous defensive play Katie L samelson on the switch using her length not fouling doing a great job of contesting Odyssey Sims at The Rim Katie L with her length right here gets the switch High hands on the switch good job of drawing the foul as well and so samelson with a block on one end will now head to the free throw line on the other play five minutes here in the first half samelson who is dealing with an illness has not played much for Indiana here out of the Olympic break in fact she scored just three total points since the Olympic break some of that has been the arrival of Lexi Hull she has taken a lot of those Wing minutes we haven't seen Christy Wallace much either you know you got to play your role you got to star in your role and I think Katie Lou is you know she's start had a starting role now she's coming off the bench again she's a new mom she's dealing with a lot you know her her baby Aaliyah is 11 months old of course dear Hami you know she had two kids and she was back in six weeks so she's a crazy woman and Hami playing at all WNBA level this year here is Hami shot too strong while ping pongs around look at Lexi Hull hit the deck they're going to get her for a foul Hami usually finishes all of that activity around the rim just three for nine for dear [Applause] Hami yeah that that's a foul it's a tough one because it's a hustle play by Lexi Hull and it seems like when you mention Hull you mentioned hustle in the same sentence H has three fouls for Indiana KN clock down to seven Jackson trying to create driving on samelson shot Off the Mark there's Hami right place right time Hami off that bronze medal in the three on three in the Olympics remember Cameron Brink was a starter on this team number two pick in the draft who was hurt got hurt with an ACL injury 15 games in Cameron Brinks back home rehabing Cameron we're sending our best of you but hamy got to take her place in the Olympics she's enjoying Hami despite the foul there a career year 18 points per game 10 rebounds had a nice conversation with hamy yesterday at practice you know at the beginning of the Season she wrote a handwritten letter to every player on the team because she wanted to be a leader and she wanted to provide some encouraging words to everyone so for azire it was like you players are looking up to you you know you got to be a leader and for RIA it's like you're going to be an All-Star in this league just keep working when you get encouraging words from a veteran like that who knows what it takes to win really helps bring your team together question and that's what Erica wheeler right there has tried to do for Indiana as well been a mentor here for this group and Boston knocks down the free throws Indiana has shot well from the foul line they are 10 of 11 pull back within a point here [Applause] [Music] and looking inside here is Jackson has the size advantage on Wheeler and Jackson knocks it down pretty stroke I think Ria Jackson is going to be an All-Star in this game I think she's got all the tools she's a highlevel elite scorer she's an incredible athlete and she lets the game come to her I've never seen her push or Force anything in the W when the game slows down and you're a rookie that's impressive oh Clark beautiful find to a cutting Boston really nice first half for Boston who has 14 points marks lead by one here what's been a competitive first half from Indianapolis Boston with 14 Mitchell with 12 Mar has nine points and six assists but Ria Jackson fourth overall pick showing out