Fever top Sky 113-90 behind Clark, Mitchell
Caitlin Clark scored 37 points, Kelsey Mitchell added 30, and the Indiana Fever pulled away from the Chicago Sky for a 113-90 victory on Sunday night. Clark made a career-high eight three-pointers, part of Indiana's franchise-record 18 from beyond the arc, and added 10 assists. The Fever, playing without center Aliyah Boston due to a right leg injury, closed their five-game road trip with a 3-2 record after having dropped two straight.
Natasha Cloud led Chicago with 16 points and seven assists, while Azura Stevens added 14 points and eight rebounds. The Sky had won three consecutive games before the loss, which combined with Washington's win on Sunday eliminated Chicago from playoff contention. Indiana completed a season sweep of the Sky with the victory, improving to 25-14 on the season.
The game was the first meeting between the teams since August 8, when DiJonai Carrington was assessed a Flagrant 2 foul and ejected after hitting Sophie Cunningham on a fast-break layup. The play was reviewed and upgraded from a Flagrant 1, with the referee citing windup, impact, and follow-through. Carrington was fined $1,000 but was not suspended. After her ejection, she posted "WHITE PRIVILEGE" on social media and tagged the Fever; days later she said she never claimed the foul call was based on white privilege.
Sunday's game carried extra attention as Carrington was listed as questionable with a left foot injury but was cleared to play after warmups. She finished with seven points on 3-of-11 shooting. The teams' first-half minutes were relatively uneventful; both Carrington and Cunningham checked in with 3:04 left in the first quarter, and by halftime Cunningham had three points in six minutes while Carrington had four points in 11-plus minutes.
Teams downplay tension
Both sides sought to play down any lingering animosity before the game. Cunningham called it "just another game," saying her mindset had never changed and that she was "locked in on tonight." Coach Tyler Marsh echoed that sentiment, telling reporters he had not spoken to his players about the charged atmosphere from the previous matchup. "That kind of was what it was last game and anything that came out of it kind of lasted for that time," Marsh said. "But for us, again, it was on to the next one in front of us."
Chicago coach Tyler Marsh also referenced the prior incident as something in the past, focusing instead on the game ahead.
Physical play and online chatter
Despite the downplaying, the game itself featured physical moments between Carrington and Clark that drew attention online. Essentially Sports reported two sequences, about 40 seconds apart in the second quarter, showing Carrington fouling Clark on a drive and then appearing to bump her after a three-pointer. The second sequence was not called as a foul, but a clip posted to X by @BrickCenter_ drew over 136,000 views. In the first sequence, Carrington argued with referee Charles Watson after the call.
Essentially Sports also noted Carrington's history with Clark, including a similar foul situation in 2024 when Carrington was with the Connecticut Sun, and playoff contact that left Clark with a black eye. Both players described the 2024 plays as accidental.
Game highlights and context
Per Bleacher Report, the Fever entered the game as 3.5-point favorites on FanDuel Sportsbook, and Chicago used a balanced attack to take a 51-50 halftime lead. But Clark and Mitchell took over in the third quarter, and Indiana's defense tightened in the fourth. Clark also delivered a behind-the-back pass to Makayla Timpson, who got off to a quick start in Boston's absence.
The Fever improved to 25-14, and while one report placed them in fifth place in the standings with only a few games separating the second through eighth seeds, that detail was not universally cited. Boston had 22 points and six assists in Saturday's 109-102 loss at New York, and her absence Sunday did not stop Indiana's offense.
The Fever host the Connecticut Sun on Friday, while the Sky visit Connecticut on Tuesday.