When you have Olivia Miles out of the lineup, you have a chance against the Minnesota Lynx, especially for a team like the Indiana Fever. But what happened at Target Center on Thursday was chilling for the Fever fans. The top-seeded Minnesota humiliated Caitlin Clark and Co. in the final game of the regular season, handing them an 86-66 loss.

The Thursday matchup was important for Indiana because it would eventually decide their playoff picture and the magnitude of the obstacle they would face in the first round. But the Fever folded big time. The matchup also saw the Fever lose two of their players to injuries, including one of their most important players on the roster.

Overall, there was barely any positive aspect of the game that the Fever could exit the regular season with, except maybe what not to do when they face the Las Vegas Aces in the first round. So, here are some of the biggest stories coming out of the Fever-Lynx game.

Caitlin Clark plays her career-worst night in Fever’s most important game

To say that it was a forgettable night for Caitlin Clark would simply downplay how bad she played on Thursday. For the Fever star, to play great in one night and struggle two days later against the same team with the same defense, wasn’t shocking. Every great player has those kinds of nights. But given the magnitude of the last game of the regular season, Clark’s performance was inexcusable.

The Fever guard played 18 minutes and exited the game with just two points. She shot just 1-of-12 from the field and missed all of her seven shots from the 3-point line. The Fever star was -27 in plus/minus. When she was asked about the offensive struggles, Clark said that the Lynx were extra physical in the game.

“I thought they were more physical than they were in the last gam. But at the same time like felt like we got really good looks, and they just didn’t go down,” Clark told reporters about her team’s struggles. “I don’t know how many shots went in and out and off the backboard, but overall, you can’t let that affect you. I think it affected our defense.”

However, this was precisely the area where former ESPN host Linda Cohn slammed the Fever. On her YouTube channel, Cohn called out the Fever for being disengaged from offense around the rim. The WNBA analyst added that the Fever has to figure out other ways to score when their shots were not falling and not stand around the perimeter.

“Coach Stephanie White has only a matter of days to figure this thing out,” Cohn said. “What is the offensive identity of this team going to be in the playoffs? It can’t simply be keep shooting threes and hope they eventually fall when they’re not falling. You have to find another way to score.”

The Fever attempted 32 shots from beyond the arc. By the end of the first half, the Fever had attempted 21 shots from the 3-point line, and converted just three. Their shot attempts from deep dropped significantly, but the damage was already done. They were down 62-32 in the first 20 minutes of the game, and at the center of the disaster was their defense.

“The defense is still astounding to me how the Fever don’t know where to help or rotate. It’s the last game of the season, and they still don’t know. They still make these mistakes,” broadcaster Robin Lundberg said.

Indiana’s defense has been its Achilles heel for all of the 2026 WNBA season. Despite being one of the worst defensive teams in the league, they have been able to win games because of their elite offense. The season-finale game against the Lynx should be a warning to Indiana that defense matters to win games, especially when teams play with extra physicality in the playoffs.

Indiana crumbles under injury woes; two players exit with injuries

Perhaps the worst news coming out of Thursday’s loss was two injuries from the Indiana Fever camp. First, it was Aliyah Boston in the first half, and then it was Tyasha Harris, who had to exit the game with injuries.

With just under three minutes remaining before halftime, Boston collided with teammate Myisha Hines-Allen. The Fever frontcourt star fell to the floor in seconds, grabbing her left leg in pain. Boston was eventually carried off the court and didn’t return for the rest of the game.  She played 13 minutes before the injury and posted 4 points and three rebounds. Stephanie White subbed in Monique Billings to replace Boston.

Stephanie White later said in the postgame presser that it was just a “flare-up,” and the team took her out as a precautionary measure.

The Fever had barely recovered from Boston’s injury when they were hit by another in the third quarter. Reserve guard  Tyasha Harris landed awkwardly on her feet and injured her left ankle while the Fever struggled to score. She went for the layup and collided with the Lynx’s Nia Brodie before twisting her ankle upon landing. She exited the game with 4 points and 2 assists in 11 minutes.

Indiana Fever playoff run under threat after loss to Minnesota

With the loss to the Lynx, the Indiana Fever officially slid to the sixth seed to end the regular season. Entering the game, they were ranked 5th, behind the Washington Mystics, and were expected to face Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream in the first round. Now the Mystics will go head-to-head against Reese and Co.

The Indiana Fever will now face defending champions Las Vegas Aces in the first round. A’ja Wilson and the Aces are a tougher matchup for the Fever than the Dream, at least from a statistical point. However, Clark and company are more concerned about winning than being too focused on which team they are facing. The Fever star also challenged her teammates.

“I feel like at this point, everybody’s record is zero and zero,” Clark said. “You’re going into the playoffs. If we sit and sulk about what happened tonight, yeah, it sucks. It is what it is. We got punched in the mouth. We didn’t make shots. Obviously had two players go down.

“I think for us is like you’ve got to do it for the people around you. You got to buy in, and I’m excited. If you can’t get up for the playoffs, then you probably shouldn’t be on this team.”

WNBA’s best offense crumbles under Minnesota’s defense

For a hardcore fan who values both defense and offense, the Fever certainly have a lot to do in order to make themselves the true title contenders. But there is no denying the fact that Indiana’s outstanding offense has been historic. They are by far the best scoring team in the WNBA with the best offensive numbers. But on Thursday, their numbers were simply appalling.

As a team, the Indiana Fever shot 34% from the field, including just 16% from the 3-point line. Here is something more. In each of the first three quarters, the Fever never touched even the 20-point mark. In the third quarter, they scored just nine points.

Historically, a great offensive team scoring less than 10 points in a quarter, especially in the last game of the regular season, especially when their seeding depends on the game, speaks volumes about their inconsistency.

The humiliating loss on Thursday wasn’t the final page in the Fever’s season, but a big lesson before they face the Aces in the first round. They have to fix their defense and figure out how to play against a physical defense, because the Lynx might just have given a blueprint to the Aces on how to handle the Fever.