Caitlin Clark scored 27 points with 15 assists and seven rebounds on Tuesday as the Indiana Fever held off the Las Vegas Aces 99-89 in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
By the numbers: Clark hit 5 of 11 from three-point range and set playoff career highs in points, rebounds, assists and threes. Her baskets and assists produced 24 of Indiana's 37 field goals and 58 points, tied for the most points created in a WNBA playoff game.
- She picked up a technical foul in the second quarter, said she "threw up everything in [her] stomach" at halftime, and fouled out with 2:45 left and the Fever up by five. Kelsey Mitchell added 26 points and Aliyah Boston 22 as Indiana's big three scored 75 of the team's 99.
- Jackie Young led Las Vegas with 31 and A'ja Wilson had 22 points and nine rebounds, a day after the Aces scored 102 in a Game 1 blowout. "I thought we were just soft in Game 1 and I thought tonight we played much tougher," Clark said on the broadcast.
Why it matters: Clark is the league's biggest draw, and a first-round exit would have taken her off the postseason stage after one home game.
What's next: Game 3 is Thursday in Las Vegas against the reigning champions, with the winner advancing to the semifinals. It is the matchup the WNBA's TV partners want, and it is now a coin flip.
