Fever Rout Lynx 96-77 as Clark Nears Triple-Double

Caitlin Clark's 27 points powered Indiana past top-seeded Minnesota 96-77, clinching at least the No. 6 seed one game before the playoffs.

The Indiana Fever bounced back from Sunday's loss to Washington in emphatic fashion, beating the league-best Minnesota Lynx 96-77 on Tuesday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in their final home game of the regular season. Indiana built momentum early, handing Minnesota a 23-point halftime deficit — the Lynx's largest of the season, according to Fox News. Minnesota's reserves mounted a third-quarter push to cut the lead to single digits, but Indiana closed out the game with renewed energy in the fourth quarter. The win came without Minnesota rookie star Olivia Miles, who sat out with a calf injury announced just before tipoff.

Caitlin Clark flirted with a triple-double, finishing with a game-high 27 points on 9-for-18 shooting, including 3 of 7 from three and a perfect 6-for-6 at the line, plus nine assists, seven rebounds, and four steals in 33 minutes. Yahoo Sports' live coverage tracked her progression quarter by quarter as she took over down the stretch. Indiana's "Big 3" of Clark, Aliyah Boston, and Kelsey Mitchell combined for 67 points, and Mitchell extended her record streak to a 27th consecutive game with 20 or more points. "I thought our third quarter was a bit sloppy," Clark said afterward, "but overall I thought our pace and intentionality on the offensive end were good."

A notable adjustment after Sunday's deflating loss paid immediate dividends. Fox News reports that the Fever flipped minutes between Sophie Cunningham and rookie Raven Johnson, having limited Cunningham to just seven minutes against Washington. On Tuesday, Cunningham saw significantly more court time than Johnson, and Indiana's offense ran noticeably smoother with her on the floor. Cunningham hit three-pointers in the first half as Indiana raced out to a 31-16 first-quarter lead, and the starters delivered the collective performance coach Stephanie White needed to erase the memory of the previous outing.

The anticipated Clark-Olivia Miles matchup fell apart roughly an hour before tipoff, when Minnesota ruled Miles out with a left calf strain. Just a day earlier, Miles had broken Clark's WNBA rookie single-season scoring record, passing Clark's 769 points from 2024 and reaching 790 points in the Lynx's win over Connecticut, per GO Magazine. She told reporters it felt "more of a relief" to clear the milestone, crediting teammates and coaching for the achievement. Miles leads Minnesota in both scoring and assists this season, so her absence reshaped a game the Fever were determined to win.

The victory clinches Indiana at least the No. 6 seed in the WNBA playoffs, per Yahoo Sports, and keeps alive the Fever's chase for home-court advantage in their best-of-three first-round series. To secure it, Indiana needs to win Thursday's rematch in Minnesota and needs the New York Liberty to beat the Atlanta Dream on Wednesday. Minnesota, meanwhile, sits one win — or one Golden State Valkyries loss — from locking up the No. 1 seed and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. Indiana still leads the league in scoring at nearly 97 points per game despite the recent stumble.

Indiana can complete a season sweep of the finale and strengthen its playoff positioning, while Minnesota needs just one win in its final two games to secure the top overall seed. Either way, the Fever carry genuine momentum into the postseason after flexing against the league's best team.