The Indiana Fever will look to bounce back from their 91-85 loss to the Dallas Wings when they face the New York Liberty on Saturday. The defeat snapped Indiana’s five-game winning streak and dropped the Fever to 24-13 with seven regular-season games remaining.
Despite boasting the WNBA’s best offense, the Fever have allowed winnable games to slip away. Indiana ranks first in offensive rating at 115.5 and lead the league with 96.1 points per game, but its defense ranks 11th with a 108.7 defensive rating.
The numbers also show a clear difference between Indiana’s wins and losses. Through its first 37 games, the Fever ranked eighth in rebounds average (33.4) and rank fifth in turnovers (14.6).
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Clark pointed to those two areas as the biggest difference when explaining why the Fever have struggled to consistently turn their offensive production into wins.
“Rebounding and turnovers are the biggest difference between wins and losses for the Fever,” Clark said before Saturday’s game in Brooklyn (via Indiana Fever reporter Robin Lundberg).
The Fever’s recent losses provide evidence for Clark’s assessment. In their 86-84 overtime loss to the Las Vegas Aces on Aug. 6, Indiana was outrebounded 45-38 and committed 22 turnovers. In a 109-111 loss to the Phoenix Mercury on June 24, the Fever had just 26 rebounds and committed 16 turnovers. Indiana also had 19 turnovers in its 96-113 loss to Atlanta on June 20.
The issue has been especially costly because the Fever’s offense gives them a chance to win almost every night. Indiana is shooting 48.6% from the field and 38.9% from 3-point range, which ranks second in the WNBA.
Against Dallas, however, Indiana was held to 85 points after scoring at least 95 in each of its previous five games. Clark finished with 10 points and nine assists on 4-of-15 shooting as the Wings handed the Fever their 13th loss of the season.
The Fever now face another major test against a Liberty team they have already beaten twice this season. New York enters Saturday at 22-15 and will be looking to improve its playoff position.
If Indiana hopes to make a deep playoff run, it will need to address the areas Clark identified. Stephanie White’s offense has been good enough to make them a contender, but protecting possessions and finishing defensive possessions with rebounds could determine how far they ultimately go.
