The Indiana Fever look to extend their winning streak and get one step closer to home-court advantage in the playoffs when they host the Washington Mystics on Sunday in Indianapolis.
The Fever (27-14) have won three straight following a 103-85 victory at Toronto on Friday night. Kelsey Mitchell had 33 points against the Tempo to set the WNBA single-season record for points with 1,034 and counting.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” teammate Caitlin Clark said of Mitchell. “I’m not sure (if) there are some NBA players that have scored as efficiently as she has. It seems like every night she makes seven 3s. She’s obviously starting every team’s scouting report. She’s fast, she gets downhill, she cuts well. But I think overall it’s her consistency, and to do it as a guard in this league is really difficult.”
Mitchell is on a historic scoring run. She has scored at least 20 points in a league-record 25 consecutive games, including 25 or more points in each of her last six contests.
Meanwhile, Clark leads the league in assists (8.5), ranks third in scoring (22.6) and has collected double-doubles in three consecutive games.
The Mystics (25-16) returned to action with an efficient 110-80 victory at Chicago on Thursday. They only committed nine turnovers against the Sky.
“Turnovers, protecting the ball, defending without fouling, pushing our pace,” Washington star Shakira Austin said. “Just trying to get those little things back so we get our synergy. How we played today, how it felt as a group … pouring into each other, being proud. That’s who we are, that’s our culture, and I think that’s gonna drive us through the rest of the season.”
The Mystics are led by the frontcourt duo of Austin and Kiki Iriafen, who both rank in the top five in the WNBA in rebounds per game and double-doubles. They are hoping to have All-Star guard Sonia Citron back after she missed Thursday’s game due to personal reasons.
The teams split their previous meetings this season, with Washington winning 104-102 in overtime at Indianapolis on May 15 and Indiana winning 78-76 in the nation’s capital on June 8.
–Field Level Media
