Clark records second triple-double as Fever celebrate playoff berth

Sep. 4—INDIANAPOLIS — Christie Sides set an alarm for midnight Wednesday morning, planning to check on the WNBA scores that could determine if the Indiana Fever clinched a playoff spot.

The reigning WNBA Coach of the Month opted to turn the alarm off without looking at the results, however.

No matter. She woke up hours later to a cellphone full of text messages after the Atlanta Dream and Chicago Sky each lost on the west coast, clinching the Fever’s first postseason appearance since 2016.

“I’ve tried to just focus on this team and make it about us,” Sides said prior to Wednesday’s game against the Los Angeles Sparks at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. “And I just thought one of (the opponents) would just not get the win and then we could win at home, winning this game tonight. That would be really incredible for the fans.”

There was no confetti falling from the ceiling, but there still was a celebratory mood throughout the night inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse as 16,645 fans cheered a 93-86 victory against the upset-minded Los Angeles Sparks.

This game was not marked by the efficient, free-flowing offense that has dominated Indiana’s current five-game winning streak.

Instead, it was best represented by one late fourth-quarter play by guard Lexie Hull, who chased down a long offensive rebound, drew a foul and hit both free throws to push the Fever’s advantage to 89-84 with 55.1 seconds remaining.

Indiana (18-16) turned the ball over 18 times and shot an uncharacteristic 7-of-22 from 3-point range. But the home team still managed to win in a style rookie guard Caitlin Clark — who recorded her second career triple-double — correctly predicted would be necessary at some point as the postseason nears.

“There’s (going to) be days that it’s a little tougher to make shots,” Clark said before the game. “It’s like, what are you going to rely on when that happens? So I think that that’s what we’re going to see, what this team is made of when that day does hit. Because, yeah, it’s great to be shooting over 40% as a team, but there’s gonna be games where that’s just not happening.

“That’s just basketball at the end of the day. That’s just statistics.”

The Fever shot 49.3% (33-of-67) overall, but much of the offense had to go through the paint with the perimeter shots not falling with their usual regularity.

Forward Aliyah Boston responded with a huge game, posting a double-double with 24 points and 14 rebounds to go along with four assists and one steal.

Boston was the No. 1 overall pick last season, but she has willingly sacrificed her offense at times for the greater good. She’s done whatever has been needed on any given night to help the Fever win — whether that’s rebounding, post defense or even at times playing as a sort of point forward.

That selfless attitude has spread throughout the roster and can be seen in the way Indiana’s players genuinely celebrate each other.

“Her defense for us has been incredible,” Sides said. “I know she’s not happy with the offensive production that she’s had the last few games, and you know she is (still) pumped every night we win. I mean, that’s the big goal.

“She also wants to contribute to her team on both ends, and so we talked to her a lot about some different things over this week. But she wants to win. She wants to win, and that’s the most important piece, and she’s been a great leader for us in the locker room as well.”

In addition to Sides’ coaching honor, Clark was named the WNBA Player of the Month and and the WNBA Rookie of the Month.

She’s the first rookie ever to win the overall player of the month honor, and this is the third time she’s won the rookie award.

She downplayed the accolades, saying she believes teammate Kelsey Mitchell should have been the player of the month after scoring more than 20 points in every game since the return from the Olympic break.

But Clark proved the voters right by again posting a triple-double with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against the Sparks.

The crowd roared as the guard ran down a rebound on Los Angeles‘ final possession to clinch the historic feat.

Clark’s first triple-double in July was the first by a rookie in league history and the first in franchise history.

Repeating the feat is additional evidence of how much her game — and her team — has grown since a slow start to the season in May.

“Caitlin and what she’s done is just incredible,” Sides said of the dual awards, adding she wishes there was a way to honor Mitchell as well.

Mitchell added 18 points against the Sparks, and NaLyssa Smith rounded out four Fever players in double figures with 14 points.

Odyssey Sims led the Sparks (7-26) with 20 points, and Azura Stevens had a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Dearica Hamby (16), Rae Burrell (16) and Kia Nurse (13) also finished in double-figure scoring for Los Angeles.

Indiana improved to 10-1 in its last 11 home games and remained one game ahead of the Phoenix Mercury for the sixth seed in the postseason.

The loudspeakers inside the arena blared “Celebration” by Kool & The Gang during the Fever’s pregame shootaround, but Clark said it’s not yet time to party.

Indiana is 7-1 since returning from the Olympic break, and the rookie superstar has bigger goals than playoff qualification.

“I mean, obviously, this is a big moment for this organization,” Clark said. “This is — it was the longest playoff drought in WNBA history, if I’m not mistaken. So it’s definitely a big moment for this place. But, at the same time, I came in with the expectation that this is what’s going to happen.

“For me, this isn’t like a party. Yeah, it’s great. I feel like it’s a great accomplishment, but there’s so much more left to be done. Yeah, we made the playoffs. … I mean, I’m not just happy to be in the playoffs. I think we have the type of team that can win and advance, going one game at a time.”