Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell powered the Indiana Fever to a 105-5 victory over the Seattle Storm on Tuesday. With star center Aliyah Boston suffering an injury in the first half, the backcourt duo stepped up big time to shoulder the offensive load.
Clark finished with 32 points on 9-of-14 shooting, along with four rebounds and seven assists. Mitchell, meanwhile, tallied 28 points.
After Clark scored 16 points in the third quarter to make sure the Fever stayed ahead despite a feisty comeback from the Storm, Mitchell took over in the fourth and dropped 18 points in the final 10 minutes to seal the victory for Indiana.
Their performance earned plenty of praise from fans and experts alike, including legendary college basketball announcer Dick Vitale.
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Vitale was really impressed by Clark and Mitchell's combined 60-point outing, so much so that he called them the "most explosive backcourt duo" in the league.
"The most explosive backcourt in the @WNBA features @CaitlinClark22 & @Kelz_Hoop," the ESPN announcer wrote before saying, "A DYNAMIC DUO."
Vitale's praise comes as little surprise, given his long-standing admiration for Clark.
In the Fever's July 17 game against the Storm, when Clark became the first WNBA player ever to have a 45-point, 10-assist performance, Vitale was also full of praise for the All-Star playmaker. He called her performance "one of the greatest efforts" fans will ever see.
For what it's worth, Vitale's claim about the Fever duo is backed by the numbers. Clark and Mitchell are in the top three in scoring in the whole WNBA. No other backcourt duo is in the top five in scoring in the league.
