CNN
–
Caitlin Clark may have been absent due to injuries, but that didn’t stop Indiana Fever from winning the WNBA Commissioner Cup on Tuesday.
Fever defeated reality champion Minnesota Lynx 74-59 with a great performance at the target center led by forward Natasha Howard, who finished the night with 16 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two steels.
“You’re confident in yourself and you’re confident in your teammates so that someone else can step up in that moment. I think this group is learning that.”
WNBA Superstar Clark sat courtside to watch his teammates competed it in the finals. The 23-year-old has been on the sidelines with gro caliber injuries in the last three games, but his fever has been impressive without the best players.
“I’m so proud,” Clark wrote in an Instagram story post along with a series of photos celebrating the title in the locker room.
Howard led a balanced attack from the heat. A balanced attack from the heat had five players in double figures at night and didn’t interfere with an early deficit.
Despite taking a 13-point lead early in the game, Lynx began to struggle with tough heat defense.
Minnesota finished the night with the worst offensive performance of the season, shooting just 16 times four-sixths of a season average of 9.4.
The Lynx All-Star Napheesa Collier was also kept relatively quiet at night, managing just 12 points with six-in-a-eight shooting, earning nine rebounds and three steals.
“Fee is a great player, but what I meant was having her take a hard shot. That’s what I did tonight.”
While the game was aiming to escape the heat while 27-14 went down in the second quarter, momentum quickly rocked their paths.
Fever ended the first half with Sophie Cunningham running 18-0 with a balanced team effort hitting a three-pointer pair in the process. The guard finished the night with 13 points.
Indiana then took a 32-27 lead heading into the second half, but didn’t step out of the gas and Howard went into the rhythm and opened a double-digit lead.
Lynx, who owns a league-high 14-2 record, has since not approached taking the lead after the first home loss of the season, but the final won’t count towards regular season standings.
“We always want to play the best basketball,” Minnesota forward Alana Smith said after scoring 15 points.
“So we need to keep this game in mind and make sure we make the mistakes we made in this game, the ways we showed up, how we prepared, and never do that again.”
