ATLANTA — Kelsey Mitchell scored 29 points, including the game-tying free throw with 5 seconds left, Caitlin Clark added 19 points and the Indiana Fever disappointed a record-breaking Atlanta crowd by holding off the Dream 84-79 on Monday night.
In the final seconds, with no timeouts, Atlanta missed two three-pointers but grabbed two offensive rebounds before losing the ball, leading to Mitchell’s free throws.
Aliyah Boston had 14 points and 11 rebounds for Indiana, and Damiris Dantas scored 11 points off the bench to help the Fever (14-16) win their most in a season since 17-17 in 2016. Clark made four 3-pointers, tying Atlanta’s Rhyne Howard’s rookie season record of 85 in 2022.
Clark also added seven assists and seven rebounds to her long-range shooting statistic. It was her 21st game this season with at least 15 points and five assists, which is the most in a season in WNBA history, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
Atlanta (10-19), which began the day a half-game out of the final playoff spot, trailed by 18 points early in the second half when Clark hit a 3-pointer before outscoring the Fever 41-32. The Dream pulled to within two points before Indiana had a five-point possession to end the comeback.
Tina Charles scored 21 points to lead Atlanta, which moved the game to the home of the Atlanta Hawks and set a record attendance of 17,608, surpassing the crowd that last played the Fever (17,575). Howard had 16 points, Allisha Gray had 12 — none after she was fouled by Boston midway through the third quarter — and Jordin Canada had 10 for the Dream.
Howard’s three-pointer pulled Atlanta within 76-74 with 4:13 left, but after an offensive rebound, Clark found Lexie Hull for a layup and a point a minute later. Hull rebounded her missed free throw and served to Mitchell for a layup and a point that she converted for an 81-74 lead.
Nia Coffey hit a 3-pointer for Atlanta with just under a minute left to make it 82-79.
Mitchell scored 15 points and Boston 12 on 12-of-21 shooting as the Fever took a 52-38 halftime lead.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, Mitchell has 105 points in Indiana’s last four games, tying the record she set last year for most points in a four-game span in Fever history.
At halftime, the gold medal-winning team from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics was honored.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
