The Indiana Fever moved to 2-1 on Thursday after pulling off a close win over the Atlanta Dream. The game came down to the wire and the Fever emerged victorious, 81-76, on the road.
It was a chippy, physical game, with plenty of fouls (plus a halftime show from R&B singer Ari Lennox). Between the two teams, five players, including Fever star Caitlin Clark, ended with five or more fouls. Dream veteran center Brittney Griner ended with six, fouling out in the fourth quarter.
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Natasha Howard went off for Indiana, leading with 26 points. Kelsey Mitchell added 17 and Clark had 11 points and six assists. On the other end, Rhyne Howard put up 24 points and Brionna Jones had 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Dream.
Atlanta came out strong to start before the Fever surged in the second quarter. But a late first-half push from Rhyne Howard got Atlanta within a 37-34 deficit heading into halftime.
It didn't take long for Clark to spark a skirmish: In the first quarter, a few extra bumps led Howard and Clark to exchange words. Clark appeared to say "I'm not scared of you" to Howard while being held back by teammate Damiris Dantas.
It was Clark's second confrontation with an opposing player in the first three games of the season, after the guard's flagrant foul on Angel Reese led to an outburst from the Chicago Sky forward.
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Things stayed tight throughout much of the second half. Both teams traded leads in the final five minutes, with Howard giving Atlanta the edge off a strong fourth-quarter performance. But it didn't take long for Indiana to retake the lead.
With a minute left, Indiana pulled to three points ahead off a clutch layup from Aliyah Boston, then sealed the win with a few free throws in the final seconds.
The Dream are now 1-2, after beating the Fever earlier this week by one point. Atlanta stays at home for a matchup against Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings, while Indiana returns home to play the New York Liberty, with both games taking place Saturday.
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