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By Matthew Couden
Contributing Writer
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With the WNBA playoffs just days away, Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever experienced a crushing 86-66 loss to the Minnesota Lynx on Thursday night.
Clark, who finished third-best with her 22.3 points per game this season, experienced a career-worst performance. The Fever superstar made just one shot, finishing with a miserable two points in 18 minutes, while her team shot 34.2% for the night.
"It sucks. It is what it is. You know we kinda came out, got punched in the mouth. We didn't make shots," Clark said. "This was a pretty crappy night overall."
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Two player injuries added to the team's bad night. All-Star Aliyah Boston exited the game late in the second quarter with a right lower-leg injury and didn't return. Tyasha Harris left the game in the third quarter with an ankle injury and also did not return.
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Clark said she believed the Lynx were "more physical than in the last game" they played. That was a 96-77 Fever blowout this past Tuesday, when the team played significantly better. Clark finished with 27 points and nine assists.
"I felt like we got really good shots and they just didn't go down," the Fever star said about Thursday night's disappointing performance. "Overall, you can't let that affect you. I think it affected our defense."
Fever coach Stephanie White said it was a rare shooting performance for the team, and now they "learn from" the loss and start preparing on Friday for the postseason.
Both games had Lynx rookie phenom Olivia Miles on the bench ahead of Minnesota's first-round series on Sunday against the New York Liberty. The Fever will begin their WNBA Playoffs with a tough series against reigning MVP A'ja Wilson and the defending champion Las Vegas Aces, also on Sunday.
"I think for us is you gotta do it for the people around you. You gotta buy in and you know I'm excited. If you can't get up for the playoffs, then you probably shouldn't be on this team," Clark also said during her postgame press conference.
The Fever star said the exciting aspect of the playoffs is that any of the eight teams could take it. However, the recent Fever performance might not inspire much confidence in fans that they can defeat contenders like the Lynx in a playoff series.
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For more about the Indiana Fever and WNBA, visit Newsweek Sports.
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