ESPN SC: CAITLIN CLARK ENDED ALL DOUBTS LAST NIGHT" - WINDHORST ON FEVER'S 84-80 WIN OVER SUN! WNBA

NBA on a night the Indiana Fever get an impressive win as well HQ WNBA analyst Takira Carter is with us and t uh fever first time they beat the Connecticut sun in four tries and what more can you say about Caitlyn Clark she already has the rookie assist record on this night she claims the three-point mark for a single season for rookie this is a team that went from one and8 to start the season they're 14-8 over their last 22 can you kind of pinpoint what her impact has been on this team in her year one of the league it's been remarkable um similar to what Kelsey Mitchell said post game we've had the time to develop the chemistry with one another and it's been a work in progress every day but it's the buyin portion that has been impressive for the Indiana Fever because a lot of times when teams don't have chemistry one or two things are going to happen they're going to answer the call or they're going to fold right now the Indiana Fever are answering the call and we're hearing them being called the team to beat um they're on the up and up and Caitlin Clark has been a huge piece of that Dynamic the game has slowed down for her a lot compared to the first couple months of her rookie year where y uh I think she was just trying to find her footing her pacing what it means to be a WNBA player where I got to get that ball moving and now she's breaking records left and right uh she surpassed Ryan Howard to become the number one rookie with over 86 three-pointers made uh which is just impressive so she does a little bit of everything from Distributing The Rock to also making sure she's picking her spots to score as well and I think that's made all the difference when it comes to finding a balance for what the fever do yeah she's she's grown accustomed to the physicality of the pro game if you will and also that scoring record is Within Reach last nine games of the regular season as well but again I mention the fact that they're only a half game out of six overall in the league now behind the Phoenix Mercury uh this a team that again beats Connecticut for the first time in four tries um where are they in your mind with regards to where they stack up with playoff contenders having won 14 of the last 22 honestly with the way that the Phoenix Mercury have been playing the Indiana Fever truly do have an opportunity to take over that six spot and if I'm them I'm trying to climb as high as I can so I don't get a match up against that one or two seed uh in the first round you can see them potentially take a early exit so with Phoenix uh their next game is is going to be up against Vegas and then we just saw them go um the Atlanta Dream they came down to the wire against the Seattle Storm Phoenix is going to have to play them too on Tuesday so Phoenix the road ahead isn't easy for them and I think the road ahead for the Indiana Fever it actually is starting to ease up a bit and so they had the bulk of the tough competition earlier on in May and June and now that they're settled in and they're playing these teams three and four times they're figuring them out a little bit and it shows in their dynamic as a squad and no question they've come together as a team you know you're talking about the top of the League the New York Liberty lose to the LA Sports they come off a loss as well recently to Connecticut and then you have Vegas which Asia Wilson scores 42 and it comes in a loss and they've kind of been scuttling of late and those are your finalists from a season ago your level of concern for the two finalists is higher for which team I'm not too concerned about the New York Liberty and I say that because they go into these gauntlets with an unhealthy roster jqu Jones didn't play tonight and I still think that's no excuse to lose to the LA Sparks they're dead last in the standings however they were missing 15 points per game and nine rebounds per game in their lineup they look sluggish they look you know a little slow but Nigel Lany Hamilton she's just now coming back into the fold of things she's one of their best defenders and another X Factor when it comes to scoring she's just returning from a knee injury and so when completely healthy the the Liberty they're dominant I'm not concerned about them only six losses and with the season winding down they've already clinched their playoff spot you rather it come now than they get into the playoffs and they you know they messing around I'm more concerned about Vegas they don't look as polished as a team as we saw when they went back to back uh there there's something missing there in the fold where Asia Wilson yeah she's capable of scoring 42 obviously we saw that but it hasn't been coming easy for her because it seems as though her teammates haven't been in a solid Rhythm so there's something going on within that Vegas uh I would say offense really I don't think defensively they have much problems where they have to figure out okay how do we F get back to us as a team whether that's Chelsea Gray scoring the ball a little bit more Kelsey Plum it's not moving enough for me it's not sticking and I think they they concern me a little bit more than the New York Liberty for sure that makes sense right now as we speak they'd be the road team they wouldn't have home court in the opening round of the playoffs though the Seattle Storm wood Seattle coming off a late win on this night they are fourth overall in the league when you stack up these playoff contenders they are home court in the opening round where do you see Seattle with regards to fighting for a title uh I'm going be honest here about Seattle their consistency that is of concern to me because they're in dog fights night in and night out and so when they can reach the point where they're getting wins and it's like oh this is convincing they're coming out and they they're just Splat out smacking teams they have the talent they have the roster and to me they have the death to win it but what I want to see more is how do we put together four quarters of play to show that we can be that title Contender team so I don't put them in regards to up there with uh the likes of a Minnesota links or the New York Liberty quite yet but I think tonight is a step in the right direction for them to show that uh the grittiness and how they can gut out wins against an Atlanta Dream team who is also on the up and up they're one spot away from getting that eighth seed if the Chicago Sky can't get their act together who have lost four straight yeah I think there's no doubt that Minnesota has shown that they are the best of the we she's Ty Carter HQ WNBA analyst Ty we appreciate the Insight thanks this is what it looks like with regards to notable tips from the WNBA on CBS Sports Network you get the fever against the Sparks who come off that win over the Liberty on Wednesday and the wings and Liberty back at it on Tuesday Aces and Sun followed by the Sparks again getting the Phoenix Mercury and again as we mentioned the Mercury just one half game up on the fever for that six spot overall Caitlyn Clark is dangerously close to suspension Caitlyn Clark has made a Monumental impact on the WNBA during her rookie season with the Indiana Fever at just 22 years old the star guard has quickly become arguably the best player on her team playing a crucial role in the fever's push for their first playoff birth since 2016 with only 12 games left in the regular season Indiana is on the cusp of making history however Clark's fiery demeanor on the court could jeopardize the fever's playoff hopes if she doesn't start raining in her reactions to game officials the team risks losing its Superstar to a suspension according to Across the timeline Clark the nca's all-time leading scorer is currently tied with ar Ogen boale and Kia copper for the second most technical fouls in the WNBA this season each with five Diana terasi and Natasha Cloud lead the league with six technicals a piece Clark received her first technical foul during the fourth quarter of the fever's 8884 loss to the Connecticut sun on May 20th a game that left Indiana with an zero to4 record her second technical followed in the first quarter of an 8882 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks on May 28th contributing to a rough 17 start for the fever Clark third technical came in the next game on May 30th during the second quarter of a 10388 defeat against the Seattle Storm however after going over a month without a technical Indiana began to turn their season around posting a 96 record in June and July but Clark was hit with another technical foul in the third quarter of an 8174 Victory against the Minnesota links on July 14th one of the more controversial Tech technical fouls against Clark occurred in the third quarter of the fever's 9275 win over the storm on Sunday raising questions about the officiating