The post Fever down Caitlin Clark takes down Lynx to win Commissioner’s Cup appeared first on ClutchPoints.
The Indiana Fever shocked the world, taking down the Minnesota Lynx without Caitlin Clark in the Commissioner’s Cup final. There were plenty of heroes about in this epic 74-59 win for a franchise on the rise. Indiana had an aggressive offseason to build around its core of Clark, Aliyah Boston, and Kelsey Mitchell, and now has one of the best supporting casts in the WNBA. And they showed up on Tuesday night to give the franchise its first Commissioner’s Cup title.
Five players reached double figures against the Lynx, including forward Natasha Howard. The two-time All-Star led the way with 16 points and 12 rebounds in a game that Indiana had control of the majority of the time. Howard, who signed with the Fever this offseason, was subsequently named MVP of the final.
Fever payers will split a bonus pool of $500,000, plus an extra $120,000 in cryptocurrency courtesy of Coinbase
Indiana showed some championship mettle against a Minnesota Lynx squad that has been the best team in the WNBA so far. The Lynx are coming off a WNBA Finals appearance and currently sit at 14-2 overall. Minnesota also was last season’s Commissioner’s Cup winners, so the Fever were entering this clash as heavy underdogs, especially without their superstar point guard. But Indiana dominated this game, especially on defense.
Napheesa Collier and the Lynx’s No. 1-ranked offense were out of sorts throughout the night, shooting just 34.9% from the field, 25% from three, while committing 16 turnovers. The Fever ranked eighth in defensive rating overall, so seeing the team be elite on this side of the floor is a great sign.
Overall, this victory marked a significant step forward for the ascending franchise. The Fever are 8-8 right now, which puts them at No. 8 in the league standings. This group has already faced numerous adversities this season, including Clark’s nagging injuries and the recent release of DeWanna Bonner.
Despite the uneven nature of the season to this point, Indiana is just three games back of the third-seeded New York Liberty right now, so there is plenty of room to move up. It first starts with getting Caitlin Clark back and healthy, and then consistently showing the same defensive intensity as seen on Tuesday night. There’s a lot of season left to be played, but now would be a good time for the Fever to start making their move up the standings.