Fever surge to dominant 99-82 home win over Dream as Caitlin Clark ramps up from injury

The Indiana Fever picked up another big win on Friday, beating the Atlanta Dream 99-82 behind a true team effort. It was the fourth and final meeting between the two teams this season, resulting in another physical matchup as the Fever get a key victory at home.

The Dream led by as many as seven in the third quarter, but Indiana surged on offense to outscore Atlanta nearly two-to-one to end the game with a 17-point win.

There have been just a few times this season that the Fever have had a full, healthy roster on the floor. Friday night was one of those nights, and the team played collectively well as a result.

Atlanta and Indiana stayed tight throughout the first two quarters, but the Dream went into halftime with a narrow five-point lead thanks to an incredible first half from Jordin Canada. The veteran guard went red-hot to start the game, putting up 26 points and six three-pointer in the first half alone — both career highs.

But Canada went cold in the second half, and the Dream were unable to keep up as the Fever pushed ahead to a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter.

Caitlin Clark, who is still returning from a groin injury that sidelined her for five games, had another relatively slow night, finishing with 12 points and nine assists. Clark, who has been on a slump from beyond the arc, went 1-7 from three, but supplemented with some tough baskets in the paint, and some great assists.

With Clark still ramping up, the other two members of Indiana’s Big Three, center Aliyah Boston and guard Kelsey Mitchell, stepped in as usual. Boston ended with 19 points, six rebounds and eight assists, but fouled out with less than three minuets remaining in the game. (The crowd gave Boston a standing ovation as she walked to the bench, despite Boston’s frustration with the call.)

Mitchell finished with a team-high 25 points, including a three-pointer that served as an exclamation mark on Indiana’s night.

Sophie Cunningham also had a great night, earning a 16-point double-double off the bench. Cunningham put up nearly 30 minutes — more than all of the starters except Boston.

Despite the loss, it was still a great night for Canada, who ended with a career-high 30 points after a slow second half. Dream forward Rhyne Howard, who exited during the first half with an apparent left leg injury, returned to the court in the second half, and finished with 14 points. Overall, though, it was a tough shooting night for Atlanta, who got outshot in the paint and beat on the boards.

As for Clark, it’s unclear how long the second-year guard will need to ramp back up to full minutes. Clark finished with 10 points in her first game back, a blowout loss to the Golden State Valkyries on Wednesday. And though Clark ended with a near double-double on Friday, she doesn’t seem as dominant as usual: Clark only had four points in the first half, and went 1-7 from three overall. (Her lone three-pointer came early in the third quarter.)

Even so, the Fever still look much stronger with Clark on the court — and they’ll need that momentum to hold up. Indiana, who is 9-10 and eighth in the league, has three games remaining until the All-Star break. If the Fever win two games, they can pull to .500 or above heading into the second half of the season. Considering that two of those games are against the league-worst Dallas Wings and Connecticut Sun, it’s more than possible.