When the Golden State Valkyries clashed with the Indiana Fever, they came armed with a calculated strategy. Unlike the Connecticut Sun’s aggressive, physical approach, the Valkyries relied on disciplined execution and tactical precision to secure an impressive 11-point victory. With Caitlin Clark tightly contained by a relentless Valkyries defense, the pressure was on her teammates to rise to the occasion. And Kelsey Mitchell was one of the few to answer the call.

 Mitchell scored 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting and rallied the team as Clark struggled. “That’s just a piece of just being aggressive and having an ability to look at your best player and be like, ‘Nah, they gonna be aggressive,’“ Kelsey Mitchell admitted after the game. “And I think that we allowed it, kind of tucked our tail a little bit tonight, on the aggression side.” The guard took responsibility for not stepping up aggressively during the fourth quarter. But was it their fault, or was something else at play?

 In a post-game interview, acting head coach, Austin Kelly reviewed the Indiana Fever’s performance. “We just didn’t play with a sense of urgency out the locker room,” Kelly began. “I think that turned the ball over five times in the first six or seven possessions. We had eight in the third quarter and I think that that deflates you when you’re trying to build upon a lead.“

Kelly, who took over mid-season, has been pushing for accountability and sharper execution, and his blunt critique reflects his no-nonsense approach to fixing the team’s inconsistencies.

The Indiana Fever committed a total of 17 turnovers, with 6 turnovers attributed to Clark. 

 Moreover, the Fever had a sluggish start in the second half and struggled to maintain the initial pace. Kelly reflected on a lack of intensity and execution in the third and fourth quarters. He even highlighted turnovers as a major shortcoming that unbalanced the team’s momentum in the later half of the game. Having said that, the HC felt that the move gave way to the Valkyries, who capitalized on the opportunity to gain an upper hand during the second half. 

Kelly praised the newly expanded team on the block for their resilience and defensive prowess. The Valkyries’ game plan was no accident, they studied Clark’s tendencies, like her deadly left step-back, and used physicality to throw her off balance, a tactic more WNBA teams are adopting against star players.

So, when Kelly was questioned on Mitchell’s confession, he confirmed the locker room condition.”We didn’t do a great job of playing personal, and taking care of first things first at the point of attack,” Kelly said. “But I agree with her in that statement. We didn’t bring it for whatever reason out of the locker room and then that starts to build confidence. When the team’s calling and chipping away at a lead, we have got to be better in that regard.” He did not flinch before pointing fingers at the locker room conditions.

 On the other hand, Indiana Fever refrained from using aggression or physicality to retain their lead in the fourth quarter. Despite the Valkyries being hell-bent on Clark’s doomsday, the decision to downplay the second half was safe gameplay on Indiana Fever’s end. Are they afraid of fouls, especially after witnessing the wrath of the league?  Or was it sheer luck that sent the roster spiraling on the losing side of the rankings? Again? Guess we’ll never know.

Caitlin Clark fails to make a mark against the Golden State Valkyries

Fan-favorite athlete Caitlin Clark stepped on the hardwood against the Golden State Valkyries and produced one of her worst performances in the WNBA last night. She disappointed the jam-packed Chase Center arena, where fans had shown up as nearly nearly 18,064 spectators, just to watch the superstar play.

But to their dismay, she missed all of her seven 3-point shots, and tallied a total of 11 points, while committing 6 turnovers and shooting only 3 of 14. But is Clark the sole reason for her heartbreaking performance? Not quite. It was the Valkyries who had a hand at digressing Clark’s momentum in the second half and tactfully defended the Fever athlete.

“Caitlin had [a] terrible game. Happy for Kate Martin though. Also, Golden State is [the] 1st crowd I’ve seen that was a true home crowd that was there for their team and not for Caitlin. Good for WNBA,” even Barstool founder, Dave Portnoy did not shy away from disgracing Clark’s performance. After all, he had placed a bet on the guard.

On the other hand, the Valkyries head coach, Natalie Nakase clarified her stand on the 2024 ROTY and said, “You guys saw what we’re doing…we’re being disruptive. We know she doesn’t want with physicality…I watched her at Iowa. She loves that left step back, it’s almost like a layup for her.”

Caitlin Clark is a natural when it comes to left step-back, and has even managed 40% on the attempts. The Valkyries HC confessed that the Fever player was disrupted by the opponents, who ensured to crowd her landing and scoring space early in the second half. This resulted in Clark’s imperfect balance and a string of missed shots.

Needless to say, the Valkyries played it smart, outpacing the Fever in a decisive 88–77 win. Now sitting third in the Eastern Conference, the question looms: Can Caitlin Clark steady the ship and lift the Indiana Fever out of this spiral? Or will they continue to unravel under the weight of elite defenses and physical play from teams like the Connecticut Sun and the Golden State Valkyries? One thing is clear: if the Fever hope to stay in contention, they must shake off the slump and rise to the challenge with urgency and cohesion.