Fever vs. Mystics: Caitlin Clark's 31-Foot 3 Beats Washington 78-76 After a 17-Point Lead Vanishes

Caitlin Clark missed two free throws with 36 seconds left on Monday night, and if you had turned off the TV right there, you would be reading a very different column. Instead, with 4.3 seconds on the clock and the Indiana Fever down a point, she caught a crosscourt inbound from Sophie Cunningham, found herself alone after Cotie McMahon lunged for the steal and came up empty, and let go from 31 feet. Nothing but net.

The Fever beat the Washington Mystics 78-76 at CareFirst Arena, surviving a night on which they blew a 17-point lead and very nearly made that the story. Clark finished with 19 points, and Indiana moved to 6-5. Washington, which trailed for most of the evening, fell to 4-6 and will be seeing that shot in its sleep for a while.

A 17-Point Lead Goes Missing

For a half, this looked like a Fever stroll. Clark scored 10 in the first quarter as Indiana took a 21-16 lead, and even after she picked up her third foul in the second, the Fever kept rolling to 43-29 at the break. A Clark four-point play in the third pushed the advantage to 17, the largest of the night, and the only question was how much rest the starters would get.

Washington, it turned out, had read a different script. The Mystics had already lost Kiki Iriafen to a sprained ankle, and they answered by ripping off nine straight in the third to get back in it. Indiana's lead was down to 60-53 heading to the fourth.

Aliyah Boston's back-to-back buckets made it 73-67 with 2:58 left, and that should have been enough. It was not. Michaela Onyenwere hit a 25-foot three and two free throws, and Shakira Austin's driving layup put Washington up 74-73 with 51.5 seconds left, capping a 7-0 run.

The finish was absurd. Clark clanked her two at the line, Austin turned it over, and Clark found Kelsey Mitchell in transition for a layup and a 75-74 lead with 11.3 left. Sonia Citron cut to the basket, drew a foul and made both with 4.3 remaining. Then came the shot, and one last stand: after Washington advanced the ball to midcourt, Boston got a hand on the inbound pass, and that was it.

Clark's Whole Experience in One Night

Nineteen points on 7-of-16 shooting, 4 of 10 from three, five assists, five turnovers, 1 of 3 at the line. In the final 36 seconds she went brick, brick, assist, game-winner. Not many players get the chance to be that wrong and that right inside the same half-minute, and fewer still want the ball again after the first part.

She had a lot of help getting there. Mitchell scored 15, including the layup that set up the chaos. Boston had 14 points and 10 rebounds, her 43rd career double-double, which is second in Fever history behind Tamika Catchings' 96. She also passed 400 career assists. Lexie Hull scored eight on 3-of-3 shooting, and Cunningham added eight points and three assists, the last of which won the game. Damiris Dantas also picked up her 1,000th career rebound in the third quarter.

Washington had plenty to be proud of, and that is the painful part. Onyenwere led the way with a season-high 17, going 3 of 4 from three and 6 of 6 at the line. Georgia Amoore scored 12 and did not miss, hitting all four of her threes. Citron had 12 points and five assists, and Austin finished with 10 points, nine rebounds and four assists, along with five turnovers, including the costly one. Off the bench, McMahon had seven points and seven rebounds, and Angela Dugalic added seven and five. As a team, Washington moved the ball for 21 assists on 25 made baskets, which is usually a recipe for winning.

A Gamble You Only Get to Lose Once

Everything before the final play was just the setup. Washington had the lead, 4.3 seconds to defend and a timeout's worth of time to plan for the one player on the floor everyone knew was getting the ball. McMahon went for the steal on the pass. She missed, and Clark had the kind of daylight that shooters of her range rarely see in a tie game, let alone a one-point one.

That is a bet you only get to lose once. Stay home and Clark probably still takes it, but she takes it with a hand in her face. Instead, a 31-footer became an open look, and an open look from Clark is not much of a gamble at all.

It was also the second time this season she has done this to Washington. On May 15 in Indianapolis, she forced overtime with a 3 at the 1.7-second mark, and the Mystics won that one 104-102. This one needed no extra time.

Stats That Matter

• 20: Indiana's total turnovers, which Washington turned into 21 points. The Fever scored 17 off the Mystics' 15.
• 10 of 29: Indiana from three, against 9 of 18 for Washington. The Mystics took 11 fewer and made just one fewer.
• 17 of 24: Washington at the free-throw line, against 10 of 14 for Indiana.
• 5: Fouls apiece for three Fever players and two Mystics. Clark never picked up a fourth after her early third.

What It Means

Indiana has won two of three and sits 6-5, with a 2-3 road record and Chicago coming to town on Thursday. The season series with Washington now stands 1-1. The Mystics are 4-6 and just 1-3 at home, with two straight losses and Toronto visiting on Friday.

The Sequel Beat the Original

Hollywood has spent decades proving that sequels rarely top the first movie. Clark's follow-up to her May stunner against the Mystics was shorter, cleaner and came with an actual win at the end of it. Washington has now seen both installments, and it would very much like to stop buying tickets.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game details as reported by the Associated Press, the Indiana Fever and the Washington Mystics.