ATLANTA – The Indiana Fever avenged their Tuesday loss with a Thursday win, taking down the Dream 81-76 in Atlanta in the second game of a back-to-back between the two teams.
Natasha Howard led the Fever with 26 points, while Kelsey Mitchell followed with 17.
Indiana is now 2-1 and will play the defending champion New York Liberty on Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Here are four observations:
Natasha Howard fuels Fever in bounceback game
New Fever addition Natasha Howard seemed out of sync in the Fever’s first game against the Dream on Tuesday night — she went just 3-of-9 from the field and missed four free throws in the fourth quarter, as well as the potential game-winning shot.
And it seems like she took that personally.
Howard was the one powering the Fever in Atlanta, racking up 21 points by the end of the third quarter. She easily cut through Dream bigs Brionna Jones and Brittney Griner — something she struggled with Tuesday — and could easily grab her teammates’ passes in the paint.
Howard was the player the Fever needed on a crucial night. She was calm and collected and didn’t get too high or too low — which was critical with Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark’s struggles. Howard finished with 26 points on 12-of-17 shooting, along with seven rebounds.
Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston marred by foul trouble
Two days after having 27 and 24 points, respectively, against the Dream, Clark and Boston were marred by foul trouble Thursday night.
Both of the Fever’s No. 1 picks had three fouls by halftime — something that is unusual for the duo. They started the third quarter, then each picked up a fourth foul, forcing them to sit. When they returned, they had to be careful with their defense.
That foul trouble, along with stingy defense from the Dream, also limited their effectiveness. Boston finished the game with just four points and seven rebounds, while Clark had 11 points, four rebounds and six assists.
In all, there was a major disparity between the Fever and the Dream on the free-throw line. Atlanta went to the line 23 times, making 18 shots, while the Fever went just 8-of-15 from the line.
Sophie Cunningham returns following ankle injury
Back in the city where she first suffered her right ankle injury that kept her out of the Fever’s first two games, Sophie Cunningham returned to the court for the first time on Thursday at State Farm Arena.
Cunningham went down with an ankle injury in the Fever’s preseason finale at Atlanta on May 10, landing awkwardly and stepping on Dream forward Rhyne Howard’s foot. She didn’t return to the game and left Gateway Center Arena in a boot.
Cunningham has been practicing for about a week now, returning to team activities on May 16 — the day before the Fever’s season-opener. She consistently told Fever coach Stephanie White she was ready to play, but White wanted to make sure that she was at 100% before she returned.
“I think the most important thing for us was making sure that she had her balance back in terms of, you know, her explosiveness and her landing, and she wasn’t compensating in any way that might have set her up for future injury or have setbacks,” White said pregame. “So, that’s that’s been remedied. She’s gotten some workouts in, and it looks good, and she’s close to normal. So we’re ready to give her a go.”
Cunningham did not have a minutes restriction in her return, either. She was an immediate spark when she came in for the first time in the first quarter. She was an integral part of Indiana’s 11-0 run in the second quarter, which put the Fever back in the lead.
Caitlin Clark, Rhyne Howard scuffle
Playing their second straight game against each other (and third in two weeks), things quickly got chippy between the Fever and the Dream.
Dream forward Rhyne Howard was playing physical defense on Clark the entire first quarter. So, when Howard was called for a foul on Clark at halfcourt near the end of the first, Clark pushed her shoulder into Howard’s chest. Howard pushed back, and the two were quickly separated by their teammates as Clark turned to Howard and said, “I’m not scared of you.”
Howard tried to appeal to the referees, but no additional fouls or technicals were given.
Clark had six technical fouls last season, one shy from getting suspended for a game without pay. She hasn’t gotten any yet this season, but she did pick up a flagrant foul in the first game of the season.
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