Caitlin Clark Reveals Fever's Mindset in Win vs. Aces to Avoid Elimination in 2026 WNBA Playoffs

Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever saved their season on Tuesday night, beating the Las Vegas Aces 99-89 and set up a decisive Game 3 on Thursday.

"The way I looked at it, your back's up against the wall," Clark told reporters after the win. "This is the only opportunity you're guaranteed to have is these 40 minutes, and you know you're going to go down swinging if you're going to lose. But I think we had the mentality like this was one we were going to win, no matter what and do it for our fans."

Clark was brilliant in the contest, putting up 27 points and 15 assists. She was so good that she already had a double-double by halftime, making her the first player in WNBA playoff history to have a points-assist double-double in the first half.

"I thought her energy from start to finish—I mean a double-double in the first half—was pretty incredible," Fever head coach Stephanie White told reporters. "The way she moved the ball, attacked from multiple positions. ... You always expect to be able to make shots and facilitate. But I thought how she managed the game was really good and her defensive energy I thought was terrific. It's what we need from her."