Caitlin Clark Addresses Indiana Fever's Disappointing Problem After Three Games
The Indiana Fever dropped to a 1-2 record to start the 2026 WNBA season, losing to the Washington Mystics 104-102 in overtime on Friday.
Caitlin Clarkrecorded a game-high 32 points and eight assists, along with four rebounds, two steals and one block. She also found her groove from beyond the arc, making seven 3-pointers after going a combined 3-for-16 in the Fever's first two games.
The Mystics held a nine-point lead entering the final 10 minutes of play. However, the Fever erased the deficit with a 31-22 fourth quarter, capped by a Clark triple to send the game to overtime.
Unfortunately, Clark's efforts were not enough to give Indiana the victory, with four players scoring in double digits for Washington. Sonia Citron tallied 30 points, six rebounds and four assists, while Kiki Iriafen added 25 points and 13 rebounds.
It didn't help the Fever that Aliyah Boston suffered a lower-leg injury in the third quarter and didn't return.
After the contest, Clark didn't hide her disappointment with how the team performed. She also highlighted a major problem that she observed about the Fever: how their sluggish offense also affects their defense.
"We've been letting [making shots] dictate how well we played defense too much," Clark told reporters after the game, per Kareem Copeland of ESPN. "Which is disappointing for us as a group. ... When things aren't going well, we've still got to be able to defend and find ways to get stops, and we haven't done that very well to this point."
To Clark's point, it's the second time in three games that the Fever have allowed an opponent to score more than 100 points. In their season opener against the Dallas Wings, Indiana lost 107-104.
Their lone win came against the Los Angeles Sparks, whom they held to 78 points.
Against the Mystics, the Fever struggled to shoot the ball in the second quarter, scoring only nine points during that span. Instead of buckling down defensively, though, they allowed Washington to score 20 points on 6-of-15 shooting.
It remains to be seen how the Fever will address their defensive problems, but they certainly need to figure things out quickly before they drop further in the standings.
Indiana will play the Seattle Storm next on Sunday, before facing the Portland Fire and Golden State Valkyries twice each next week.
Related: WNBA Fans Have the Same Reaction to Caitlin Clark's Pregame Outfit
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This story was originally published May 16, 2026 at 4:39 AM.