Caitlin Clark’s Fever host slumping Liberty on CBS after 45-point blast
Indiana gets New York at Gainbridge Fieldhouse after Clark’s record night and the Liberty’s bumpy stretch.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
Caitlin Clark is back on the floor one night after a 45-point show, and the New York Liberty are walking into Indianapolis trying to stop a three-game slide.
The Indiana Fever host the Liberty on Saturday, July 18, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, with tipoff set for 8 p.m. ET. CBS Sports lists the game for CBS, with streaming on Paramount+. CBS Sports said coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. ET.
FanDuel odds cited by CBS Sports have New York favored by 2.5 points, with the total at 179.5.
Game details
- Date: Saturday, July 18
- Time: 8 p.m. ET
- Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis
- TV: CBS
- Stream: Paramount+
- Odds, via FanDuel: Liberty -2.5, over/under 179.5
Indiana enters at 15-10 after beating the Seattle Storm 110-107 on Friday, according to CBS Sports. Clark set a career high with 45 points in that game and became the first WNBA player to post at least 40 points and 10 assists in one game, CBS Sports reported.
She did it in 29 minutes, shooting 11 of 18 from the field and 6 of 10 from 3-point range. CBS Sports also reported that Clark became the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 200 career 3-pointers.
The explosion followed a rough stretch from deep. CBS Sports said Clark was 3 of 19 from 3-point range in July before facing Seattle, while also dealing with back issues and a recent minutes restriction.
After the Seattle win, Clark said the performance was a response she had pictured.
“I feel like you just have to believe you're going to have those types of nights and you have to visualize having those types of nights and I feel like that's what I did,” Clark said, according to CBS Sports. “It's not always going to go your way…I know all the time and the work that I've put in and people believe in me and, more than anything, I believe in myself.”
Kelsey Mitchell gave Indiana plenty of firepower, too. CBS Sports reported Mitchell scored 30 against the Storm, including 17 in the first quarter, and that she and Clark set a Fever franchise record with 75 combined points by a duo in one game.
Mitchell is averaging 22.9 points, according to CBS Sports. Her Seattle performance was the 14th 30-point game of her career and her ninth straight 20-point game, tying the fifth-longest such streak in WNBA history. CBS Sports reported she has made at least three 3-pointers in each game during that run.
Liberty trying to stop the skid
New York comes in at 13-11 after losing seven of its last nine games, according to CBS Sports. The Liberty’s most recent game was a 93-91 loss to the Toronto Tempo on Sunday, and they sit seventh in the WNBA standings.
The Liberty were supposed to play the Dallas Wings on July 16, but CBS Sports reported the game was postponed to Monday because of mechanical issues with New York’s charter flight.
In the last meeting between these teams, New York beat Indiana 83-75 on June 6. Breanna Stewart scored 30 for the Liberty and went 18 for 21 at the free-throw line, according to CBS Sports. Sabrina Ionescu missed that game with back soreness.
Clark had 10 points on 4-of-14 shooting in that matchup, along with nine assists and seven rebounds. CBS Sports reported she picked up her fifth foul with 6:26 left in the fourth quarter while the Fever led by three, and Clark later said she had committed a few “dumb” fouls.
New York is still dealing with injuries. CBS Sports reported Satou Sabally is out indefinitely after entering concussion protocol in late June, and coach Chris DeMarco said she will be out until after the All-Star break. Leonie Fiebich has missed four straight games with left foot soreness, and DeMarco said she is “progressing very well,” though no return date has been given.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS Sports.