Clark-Bueckers clash lives up to hype in Fever win
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- Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers each scored 29 points on better than 50% shooting in the Indiana Fever's 98-87 win over the Dallas Wings, with Clark scoring or assisting on 51% of Indiana's points and Bueckers doing the same on 50% of Dallas's
- Clark recorded her seventh game this season with at least 25 points and 10 assists — the most in a single season in WNBA history; she holds the career record with 13 such games
- Clark and Bueckers will share a backcourt at next month's FIBA World Cup in Berlin, marking their senior national team debuts for the U.S.
- The Fever outscored Dallas 35-21 in the fourth quarter after a first half in which the teams combined for 6-of-31 shooting from beyond the arc; the Wings allowed 63 second-half points total, which coach Jose Fernandez called "inexcusable"
- Kelsey Mitchell extended her 20-point game streak to 18 straight, the longest single-season streak in WNBA history, while Aliyah Boston added a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double
- Indiana (22-12) sits in fourth place and has won 10 of its last 13 games; Dallas (20-15) is eighth and has won just three of its past 10, with its second straight game missed by Jessica Shepard (ankle) and fourth straight without Azzi Fudd (knee)
- The teams meet again Thursday in Dallas for a rubber match
Why it matters: The Fever have surged to 22-12 behind Clark's record-setting play, while the short-handed Wings have slipped to 20-15 and dropped three of their last four, making Thursday's rematch in Dallas a measuring stick for both teams' playoff positioning. Clark's seventh 25-point/10-assist game of the season — a single-season league record — strengthens her MVP case entering the FIBA World Cup window.
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