Mitchell drops another 30 on the Liberty, Indiana runs them off the floor — and All-Star weekend just took two hits before it even tips. If you're just joining, Kelsey Mitchell's MVP case had already moved past a nice hot week. Before this game, she'd put together a WNBA-record eight straight with at least 20 points and three made threes, and she even kept it going in a loss to Golden State. For Indiana, that surge feeds the question now: is this actually a contender? This is Indiana Fever Daily. Two straight wins, a 20-point body-bag of New York — and now Bueckers and Reese are banged up heading into the showcase. Let's start with Mitchell. Kelsey Mitchell MVP campaign isn't over. Follow us wherever you're listening, and the next chapter comes to you. Here's Charles Huiras at theScore:
Kelsey Mitchell had 33 points on 10-of-14 shooting, Caitlin Clark added 17 points, and the Indiana Fever beat the New York Liberty 108-88 on Saturday night. Mitchell, who scored 30 Friday night in a 110-107 win over Seattle, has back-to-back 30-point games for the first time in her career and has scored at least 20 points in 10 consecutive games.
Kelsey Mitchell, 33 on 10-of-14 against the Liberty. That's back-to-back 30-point games — first time in her career — and ten straight games of at least 20. And they were down thirteen! Indiana climbed out of a hole against a real team and then buried them. 108-88, Cera. That's the closing job I've been waiting to see. It turned in the third — 28-12 Indiana, and nine of New York's fifteen turnovers came in that stretch. The last time we talked about this team beating a top opponent, it felt murky. This felt a lot cleaner. And Clark had 17 the night after a 45-point, 10-assist franchise record. She's managing the load, Mitchell's carrying the scoring — that's the version of this offense that actually holds up in a playoff series. The MVP talk around Mitchell keeps getting louder, and honestly, the résumé backs it now. I still want to hear the coaching staff say out loud who they run the last possession through. Right now it's still implied. She keeps raising her hand. At some point you just hand her the pen. From TSN:
Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese both were injured Sunday. Bueckers had a rough collision with Nneka Ogwumike in the fourth quarter of Dallas' game against Los Angeles. The second-year star guard won't play Monday night against New York, but cleared concussion protocol the team said.
So we just spent the whole first segment on that Liberty blowout, and now the All-Star picture we've been talking through all week gets scrambled. Bueckers took a fourth-quarter collision with Ogwumike — she cleared concussion protocol, but she's out Monday against New York. And Reese's knee buckled on a jump-stop against Chicago. She got up, went down again, and didn't return. You're talking about the league leader in rebounds — 11.8 a game, 14 double-doubles — limping into the break. Which is the part I keep sitting with. Clark's on Team Spoon with A'ja, Mitchell's on the other side — that whole showcase setup depends on everyone actually being healthy enough to play it. Cathy Engelbert will name replacements if Bueckers or Reese can't go Saturday in Chicago. Plum's already been out nearly a month with a lower-leg thing. The All-Star roster's getting thin fast — and for Indiana, that's the part that makes you hold your breath. Right. We just watched Mitchell drop 33 and close out a contender. The last thing you want coming out of the break is a Fever player picking up an exhibition tweak. If you like staying close to the Fever every day, check out Angel City Daily Podcast — it’s a daily ACFC supporter briefing, with match reaction, NWSL standings, roster moves, women’s soccer in Los Angeles, and supporter buzz. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.
Here's what we're watching next: the Fever host Connecticut on Wednesday, and the WNBA All-Star Game is Saturday in Chicago. Cathy Engelbert will name replacements if injured All-Stars can’t play.
You’ll find links to every story from today’s episode in the show notes, so if one caught your ear, you can read more there.
That’s it for today’s Indiana Fever Daily Podcast. This is a Lantern Podcast.