Fever vs. Valkyries: Caitlin Clark Returns With 22 and 9 as Indiana Wins Its Third Straight, 90-82

Two minutes to go, an 84-74 lead shaved to 84-80 in the space of 35 seconds, and 16,742 people in Gainbridge Fieldhouse doing the math. This was the moment a tired road team steals a game it has no business stealing.

Indiana answered with the least glamorous weapon in basketball. The Fever did not make another field goal the rest of the way, and they did not need one. Caitlin Clark came back from a one-game absence with 22 points and nine assists, Aliyah Boston piled up 20 points and 16 boards, and on Friday night the Indiana Fever had their third straight win, 90-82 over the Golden State Valkyries.

Two Different Games in One Building

Golden State arrived on the second night of a back-to-back, fresh off an 87-70 rout in Brooklyn on Thursday, and spent the first half acting like fatigue happens to other people. It was 19-18 Indiana after one. The Valkyries then opened the second quarter on an 11-2 tear, nine of those points coming in a row, to go up 29-21, and they took a 44-37 lead into the break.

Indiana's first half explained the score. The Fever shot 4 of 17 from 3 and went to the foul line only three times. Then came the second half, when the rim got wider and the whistle got busier. Indiana hit 6 of 9 from deep after intermission and went 19 of 26 at the stripe. The third quarter swung 29-17, a seven-point hole became a 66-61 lead, and a game with 12 lead changes finally started to tilt.

Boston's 17-footer, set up by Clark, gave Indiana its biggest lead at 84-74 with 2:35 left. Everyone in the building thought that was that. Everyone was wrong for about 35 seconds.

The Whole Cast, Finally

Clark had missed Wednesday's win over Portland with a back injury, and nothing about Friday suggested she wanted to ease back in. She played 32 minutes, made 4 of 9 from 3 and steered an offense that dished 22 assists to Golden State's 11. It was not tidy. She had six turnovers and five fouls, and there were stretches where the Fever's 18 giveaways kept the Valkyries breathing. But when your messy night reads 22 and 9, you take the mess.

Boston was the steadiest player on the floor. She shot 8 of 15, pulled down 12 of her 16 rebounds on the defensive end and finished plus-15, the best number in the game. Against a team that needed stops and second chances to hang around, she kept shutting the window.

Kelsey Mitchell made just four field goals and still scored 19, because she went a flawless 11 of 11 at the line, six of those in the final five minutes. Ice water is a tired phrase, so call it what it was: the most boring way imaginable to end a comeback, and the most effective. Sophie Cunningham added 11 off the bench.

For Golden State, the reserves outplayed nearly everyone. Tiffany Hayes scored 19 on 7-of-13 shooting and Kaitlyn Chen had 18 on 7 of 11, with both going a perfect 2 of 2 from 3. Veronica Burton gave them 17 and made 7 of 8 free throws while playing through five fouls, and Kayla Thornton had 10. The trouble was everybody else. Kaila Charles went 0 for 6, Janelle Salaun went 1 for 8, and Gabby Williams, the star of Thursday's win, shot 2 of 8 for six points, though she did swipe four steals.

Thirty-Five Seconds of Panic, Then a Parade to the Line

The third quarter decided who was in control. The last two minutes decided whether it would hold. Burton hit two free throws at 2:17, then two more on a flagrant foul at 2:07, and Chen's driving layup at 2:00 made it 84-80. Six straight points, almost no clock gone, and a team playing its second game in two nights suddenly had a real shot.

Here is how Indiana scored from there: Boston made one free throw at 1:48. Clark made one at 58.4. Mitchell hit two at 41.8. Salaun's two free throws got Golden State back to 88-82, and Mitchell immediately hit two more at 30.9. No hero ball, no step-backs, no poster. The Valkyries were good at the line themselves, finishing 23 of 27, but they needed baskets at the other end and could not find them.

Stats That Matter

• 29-17: The third quarter, the stretch that flipped the whole night.
• 19 of 26: Indiana's free throws after halftime, following a 3-of-3 first half.
• 6 of 9 vs. 4 of 17: The Fever from deep, second half against first.
• 22-11: Indiana's assist edge. Golden State made 26 shots and assisted on fewer than half of them.
• 14-9: The Valkyries' advantage in points off turnovers, which is how 18 Indiana giveaways kept this interesting.

Where Everybody Stands

Indiana is 4-2 and 3-2 at home, and the three-game streak has a wrinkle worth noticing. Boston sat out the win over Seattle. Clark sat out the win over Portland. Friday was the first game of the three with both of them on the floor.

Golden State falls to 3-2 and 2-1 on the road, which still counts as a respectable trip east: a 17-point win in Brooklyn and an eight-point loss on the second night. The Valkyries host Connecticut on Monday, and these two meet again on Thursday, this time out in San Francisco.

Assembled at Last

Indiana spent the week winning like a superhero franchise that keeps recasting its lead and somehow still clears the box office. Friday was the first installment with the whole roster on the poster, and it was not exactly a polished cut. Indiana committed 18 turnovers and 26 fouls, and the finale looked like a free-throw clinic. Nobody in the Fever locker room will care. The credits rolled with Indiana on top, and the sequel opens Thursday in the Bay.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game details as reported by the Associated Press.