Dallas got Indiana once already. Tonight, with Caitlin Clark listed probable and Paige Bueckers heating up, can the Fever answer back? Quick catch-up before we dig in: Indiana can score with anybody. Now the Fever need that offense to hold up in the seeding race. The Clark-Mitchell-Boston attack has fueled back-to-back wins over Chicago and New York, plus a WNBA single-season record with 15 100-point games. Dallas is the next test with real standings stakes. This is the Indiana Fever Daily Podcast. Clark’s status, Dallas missing bodies, and whether this red-hot backcourt holds up against a real perimeter test—let’s go. Yahoo Sports, with Anthony Miller:
The Indiana Fever are preparing for a showdown with the Dallas Wings, as both teams fight for playoff positioning. Indiana is on a two-game winning streak after losing the previous two games. The Fever have won seven of the last 10 games. Now they face injury concerns, including for star guard Caitlin Clark. Throughout the last month-plus, Clark has been on the injury report.
Caitlin Clark is probable with the back issue, which is the designation you want: she’s expected to play. She’s been producing through this for more than a month, so don’t turn warmups into a five-alarm injury special. And Aliyah Boston is probable too, which matters just as much to Indiana’s game plan. At 21-12 and on a two-game streak, the Fever expect to have their full core for a direct playoff-positioning game. Probable doesn’t mean you hand Caitlin 38 minutes and hope her back doesn’t file a complaint. Let the other scorers carry real possessions early, then see what the game asks for late. Right. Indiana lost the first meeting 107-104, so three possessions might decide this. Clark being available matters. Lineup management and execution decide whether the result changes. Here's Declan Walsh at CT Insider:
Former UConn women's basketball star Azzi Fudd will remain sidelined as she recovers from a knee injury, this time missing one of the league's biggest showcases of young talent Friday. The Dallas Wings will face off against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever Friday evening, but Fudd was listed as "out" on Thursday's pregame availability report Thursday.
Azzi Fudd missing a fourth straight game stinks, especially with that right-knee history. Dallas is without Fudd, Jessica Shepard, and Aziaha James tonight. That’s a very thin rotation walking into Indiana. And that changes the matchup. Dallas already beat Indiana 107-104 on May 9, but the Fever can pressure a shortened perimeter group in ways they couldn’t in that first meeting. So please, no casual stroll because the availability report looks friendly. Dallas still has elite shot-makers, and with fewer bodies, Indiana has to make every defensive possession expensive. Fudd did get through a 5-on-5 scrimmage Tuesday, and Dallas is clearly being cautious after multiple serious right-knee injuries. Makes sense. For Indiana, though, the opening is there: they average 10.4 made threes, 2.5 above what Dallas typically allows. This one's from WTOP:
Indiana averages 10.4 made 3-pointers per game, 2.5 more made shots than the 7.9 per game Dallas gives up. Dallas averages 89.0 points per game, 1.4 fewer than the 90.4 Indiana allows. The teams square off for the second time this season. The Wings won the last matchup 107-104 on May 9, with Arike Ogunbowale scoring 22 points in the victory.
Dallas got Indiana 107-104 on May 9, so nobody should look at 20-14 and start planning a victory lap. Paige Bueckers just put up 22 on Toronto, and Arike can turn one loose fourth quarter into a very long night. Dallas’s roster looks very different tonight. With Shepard, Fudd, and Aziaha James out, Bueckers and Ogunbowale have to carry an enormous share of the creation. Indiana can pressure that in ways it couldn’t in the first meeting. Here’s the clean tactical number: Indiana makes 10.4 threes per game; Dallas allows 7.9. That 2.5-shot gap is nearly the exact margin from the May loss. In a possession game, it can’t just be trivia. Exactly. Make Dallas chase shooters, make Bueckers defend every action, and don’t donate possessions with those casual turnovers. The Wings are thin; stop playing like they’re not. ClutchPoints, with Paolo Mariano:
According to ESPN, they have combined for the most points by a duo over an 11-game span in league history. Mitchell and Clark have teamed up for 51.9 points in the said stretch. CAITLIN CLARK & KELSEY MITCHELL ARE HOOPIN’ 🔥 They've combined for the most points by a duo over an 11-game span in W HISTORY
Fifty-one point nine a night over 11 games—the highest-scoring 11-game run by a duo in league history. Kelsey’s scored 20-plus in 17 straight, Caitlin had 10 assists against New York, and every defense has to choose a problem. The Liberty game was the marker: 106-92, 16-for-25 from three between Clark and Mitchell, and this 11-game run is now WNBA history. Tonight matters because Dallas already won the first meeting 107-104. The production has to show up in a tighter possession game. And please don’t turn “probable” into a panic special. Clark has been playing through the back issue while this duo catches fire; if Dallas lets Mitchell get loose early, Bueckers and Ogunbowale are going to need more than another 22-point night. Indiana averages 10.4 made threes, about 2.5 more than Dallas typically allows. That’s an edge, but only if the Fever defend well enough to avoid another one-possession finish. If you’re enjoying the Indiana Fever Daily Podcast, take a moment to subscribe or leave us a review wherever you’re listening. It helps other Fever fans find the show, and we’re grateful you’re here.
Next up: Dallas Wings at Indiana Fever, Friday at 7:30 p.m. EDT in Indianapolis.
Links to every story are in the show notes, so check out whichever ones you want to explore further. That’s it for Indiana Fever Daily Podcast today. This is a Lantern Podcast.