Any time a team visits Indy, they know their project of the night would be stopping Caitlin Clark. A fiery contest with the Atlanta Dreams wasn’t any different. However, not only did the point guard manage 26 points on Thursday, but Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston also helped with 26 and 23 points, respectively. Yet, if you were to ask the three-time WNBA Champion Swin Cash, there is still one thing keeping the Fever’s offense from unleashing as they lose 108-101.

“They kept a fresh body on Caitlin at all times,” Swin Cash said during Amazon Prime’s postgame coverage. “All of her baskets, she had somebody right there. It was rare that we just saw an open shot, and so they were applying pressure all day long.

“But to Fever — sometimes when you get this situation where a ball stays in her hands a little bit longer, there are stretches where other players aren’t getting any touches.”

While Rhyne Howard had the task of keeping tabs on the point guard, Angel Reese and others also face-guarded Clark throughout the game. So much so that the Fever No. 22 had five turnovers because of the pressure she received while trying to pass the ball. And that’s exactly what hindered Indiana’s offensive flow.

If Clark is on the floor, she would start the offense most of the time. But the Dream did not give her any breathing space and remained hungry for the ball, and as soon as she passed the ball, they would snatch it, and it would be a turnover.

Through physical coverage and quick swaps, they continued to make her work for any shot she took. It was visible as she only attempted five three-pointers (two made) — her lowest in the Commissioner’s Cup series.

The result was a game where she rarely had clean or comfortable looks and ended up missing more than 50 percent of her shots from the field.

But here’s the thing, Indiana actually started strong and built an early five-point lead behind solid offensive execution. But the momentum shifted sharply in the second quarter when Atlanta broke the game open with a 34-20 run.

From that point on, the Fever were forced into chase mode for most of the night.

With Caitlin Clark serving as Indiana’s primary offensive engine, she carried a heavy load as the Dream continued to build its lead. But that also meant she was constantly forced into tougher decisions throughout the night.

Besides the TOs, the 24-year-old also found herself in foul trouble. She picked up four fouls in the first half itself and sat for most of the final quarter after picking up her fifth.

Still, Caitlin Clark went on to finish the game as Indiana’s leading scorer with 26 points and seven assists. She still went on to contribute to at least 40 percent of Indiana’s points. The very reason why even Kelsey Plum admitted that stopping Caitlin Clark is not easy.

In fact, it is also not fair to say that the Fever doesn’t share the ball enough.

Indiana is fifth-best in the league with over 20 assists per game. And that literally comes down to the very definition of an assist: it needs to get a score. Outside of assists, they have certainly started sharing the rock more, especially since last season when they lost Clark to injuries.

The thing is, Cash isn’t wrong. Over-dependence on any one player to initiate their offense can always be problematic for a team. Clark is still going through back issues and faces some of the harshest physicality every other game night. What they have certainly done is give Clark more breaks and allow the team to continue playing offense even without her. But on Thursday, apart from the Big 3, other players could not add much to the team.

Lexie Hull and Monique Billings — both starters — combined for just eight points. While they did help on the defensive end, their offense lagged. Tyasha Harris and Myisha Hines-Allen were held scoreless. Makayla Timpson, who was on the court for 21 minutes, added only six. She did help with two free throws at a crucial time, but her three turnovers hurt the Fever. Meanwhile, all five Dream starters finished in double figures, with Angel Reese leading the way at 21 points and 11 rebounds.

That gap was the main reason this game ended the way it did, breaking the Indiana Fever’s four-game winning streak.

But the good news for the Fever is they won’t have to wait long for revenge. Caitlin Clark and Co. will continue the home-and-home series with the Dream tomorrow, where they will look to get the upper hand in a season series that now sits at 1-1.