Indiana Fever hardly turned heads in their 75-83 loss to the New York Liberty on Saturday. While 11 missed layups showed sloppy play, Stephanie White, like a true head coach, emphasized team failure over pointing fingers. However, that didn’t stop star forward Aliyah Boston from coming under the microscope due to her poor finishes near the rim. Though a recurring lower-leg injury clearly hampered her performance, analysts argue her struggles in the paint remain a major hurdle for the team’s offense.

“She struggled with some finishes in this game,” Tony East said in his post-game coverage video. “I don’t know if I hand-tracked the exact number, but it certainly felt like 11. Boston is not off the hook for those struggles. She was not finishing as well around the basket. The three-ball has become a story for her this year, and I think she only made one in this game.”

Notably, this comes after White dissected what went wrong during the game.

“It was not a pretty game,” the head coach said during the post-game press conference. “I felt like, in spite of that, we gave ourselves opportunities, but it’s really tough. I mean, we missed 11 layups. It’s really tough when you’re missing those kinds of shots to get back in transition defense. It’s momentum killers at times.”

And she’s right. The Fever, as a team, could not get into the paint, scoring just 38 points from the inside. But that has been their story all season long so far. Boston, on the other hand, also had a dismal showing.

Finishing with 13 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks, the player struggled with her efficiency on 6-of-15 (40%) shooting. And after Boston returned after an injury in the third quarter, she missed seven consecutive shots (including four layups) in the fourth quarter. Notably, this is the lowest number of points she scored this season, tied with last month’s game vs the Golden State Valkyries.

So far, Boston is shooting 41.7% from the three-point line over the season and she went 1-3 in this game. The Fever shot 32.1% from the three-point line.

That said, what’s even more worrying is that Boston might not get a chance to make an immediate comeback as her injury issues continue to worsen. 

Aliyah Boston’s injury concern becomes worse ahead of Mystics rematch

In the injury report released by the Indiana Fever, Aliyah Boston is listed as questionable with a lower leg injury ahead of the game vs the Washington Mystics. This is the same team that defeated them in overtime earlier in the season. Caitlin Clark scored 32 points on that occasion, including the game-tying three. Yet, the Mystics took home the game 104-102. Aliyah Boston had a rough game with just 9 points and 4 rebounds. 

It was earlier reported by Scott Agness that Boston was suffering from a meniscus injury in the offseason. But whether this is the same injury or a different one remains unconfirmed. 

“It’s just like my lower leg, I’ve definitely had some moments with that,” Boston said last month. “For me, it’s just about taking it day to day. I think the coaching staff and the medical staff have done a great job just talking to me, asking me how I’m feeling, and just going off that.”

Beyond Boston, Clark is also listed as questionable with a lower back problem. But if Boston does not play, the Fever might have a difficult time dealing with the Mystics yet again. Caitlin Clark or Kelsey Mitchell will need to go off to compensate and stretch their defense, so someone like Monique Billings can fill in better. Billings had her best game in the Fever shirt with 15 points and 8 rebounds and will need to continue in the same form if the Fever have to bounce back.