Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever overcome Phoenix Mercury on Sunday in back-and-forth affair

PHOENIX – Basketball is a game of runs. Sunday’s contest between the Phoenix Mercury and Indiana Fever was just that.

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That’s the game of basketball, it’s a game of runs,” said Mercury guard Diana Taurasi following the game. “We’ll learn from it and get better.”

Back-and-forth affair in Phoenix

The Mercury got off to a 17-4 start in the first quarter, a run that seemingly activated the Fever’s defense. Indiana began to play more active and engaged on that end of the floor, switching to zone defense and sending the double as soon as Griner touched the ball in the post.

Despite that, it took time for Indiana to find its footing offensively. It’s inside-out attack was largely effective in the paint, but it was a different story from long-range. The Fever shot 1-of-12 from 3-point land in the first half, forcing the Mercury out of their comfort zone.

“I thought the first-half defense was good,” said Mercury head coach Tibbetts. “In this league, you have a choice to make — what are you going to try and take away? [Aliyah] scored a couple of times down there on [Natasha Cloud], I thought Tash did a great job on her.”

The tide would quickly shift heading into the second half, however.

Indiana would go on a 27-2 run in the third quarter in just over six minutes — carving out a 10-point lead of its own before the end of the third.

The ball moves faster than people, and Indiana did a great job of making quick reads in the third, forcing Phoenix to act on the fly.

 

Caitlin Clark has an argument to be one of the league’s best passers already, and she helped ignite that needed spark in the third with her deep passing repertoire.

She turned the ball over five times in the first-half, but only recorded one turnover in the second. Clark ended the game with 15 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds, orchestrating the offense on route to the victory.

Clark now sits at 129 assists this season — the most by a rookie in Fever history. Through just 20 games.

“They kind of took us out of our rhythm,” said Tibbetts. “We gave up 50-points in the second half, that’s not a recipe for winning games. I thought they came out in the third quarter [and] just played a little bit faster, and we did not.”

“It was more so us just not getting back,” said Mercury point guard Natasha Cloud. “We got to be able to get back. Teams are running in transition but they’re running wide. We got to start running back to the paint, we got to find ball, force the side, and then fall in line. That’s on us, and that’s on our transition defense.”

 

Diana Taurasi vs. Caitlin Clark — an overlap of eras

Fans have been salivating over the matchup of Taurasi versus Clark in the WNBA. It’s an overlap of eras that will surely go down in history.

Taurasi said before the season that it would take Clark time to adjust to the WNBA — an objective fact that remains true for any player coming into the league. Despite that, Taurasi knows that “greatness always translates,” and recognizes the incredible start that Clark has had to her career in both the WNBA and college.

“What Caitlin [Clark] has been able to do in her short career so far has just been nothing short of remarkable,” said Taurasi. “The one thing that I really love about her — she loves the game. You can tell she’s put the work in. Even throughout her short WNBA career, it’s been a lot of pressure, a lot of things thrown at her. She keeps showing up and keeps getting better every single game. Her future is super bright, and being a veteran, it’s pretty cool to see that going into the future.”

What’s next for the Phoenix Mercury?

The Mercury will now shift their sights to the Connecticut Sun, who will visit the Footprint Center on Monday. This marks the third game in four days for Phoenix, this time, against a veteran team that remains atop the WNBA. The Sun, 14-4, will be coming into Phoenix with a sense of urgency. That’s why the Mercury know that they can’t let this loss define them.

“In professional basketball, you can’t hang your heads, especially on a back-to-back,” said Tibbetts. “That’s the beauty of this profession. You can forget about this game pretty quick if you come out and compete tomorrow, and that’s what we expect from our group.”

Phoenix’s attendance was listed at 17,071 — the third best home attendance in franchise history. Despite the energy from the X-Factor, it came down to a lack of execution in the fourth quarter.

“The crowd was amazing,” said Tibbetts. Winning and losing games, it’s making plays down the stretch. They made them, and we didn’t.”

Next Games

Mercury: Home vs. Connecticut Sun (14-4) | July 1 | 7 p.m. PT