Liberty Strike Early and Often, Cool Off Fever Before All-Star Break

The Indiana Fever hit the hardwood Wednesday night hoping to carry their road-winning streak into the All-Star break, but the New York Liberty had other plans, torching the nets at Barclays Center en route to a 98–77 win.

The Fever (12–11) were playing shorthanded without their spark plug, Caitlin Clark, who sat out nursing a groin injury suffered the night before. Without her lightning in a bottle, the Fever couldn’t quite generate the shock needed to zap the Liberty (15–6), who fed off their home crowd and breezed into the break with a confident performance.

Breanna Stewart put on a Liberty-sized show with 24 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists — flirting with a triple-double while keeping Indiana on its heels. New York started strong, opening a 32–24 lead after the first quarter and stretching it to 53–38 by halftime. Despite a late third-quarter 9–0 burst from the Fever, the Liberty were simply too much, and the fourth quarter became a formality.

For the Fever, Kelsey Mitchell kept her streak of double-digit games alive at 22 straight, scoring 16 points and sinking two more three-pointers — including her franchise-record 607th career three-ball, passing Tamika Catchings on the all-time Fever leaderboard. Sophie Cunningham also got the starting nod for the first time as a member of the Fever and marked her 200th career game. Aliyah Boston dished out her 300th career assist during the night, continuing to cement her place as a paint-dominating playmaker.

Although the Fever couldn’t overcome the Liberty’s firepower, their resolve and depth remain a positive takeaway as they enter All-Star Weekend. The Big Apple wasn’t so sweet this time, but Indiana is still firmly in the playoff picture and poised for a strong second half.

Up next? All-Star festivities at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, where the Fever faithful will get to cheer on their hometown heroes under the bright lights before the regular-season grind resumes.