The Indiana Fever closed out their regular season with an 86-66 rout against the Minnesota Lynx on September 24, 2026, at the Target Center. Caitlin Clark posted a career-worst two points on 1-of-12 shooting. The loss dropped the Fever to the sixth seed in the WNBA playoffs, setting up a first-round series against the Las Vegas Aces.
The Bottom Line
- The Score: Top-seeded Minnesota cruised to an 86-66 victory, handing Indiana its worst offensive output of the season.
- Clark’s Struggles: Caitlin Clark managed just two points in 18 minutes, missing out on becoming the first WNBA player to reach 900 points and 300 assists in a single season.
- Playoff Picture: The sixth-seeded Fever head on the road Sunday to open their postseason run against the defending champion Las Vegas Aces.
A Brutal Finale in Minneapolis
Momentum in professional sports can evaporate in forty-eight hours. Just two days after pulling off a statement home win against the Minnesota Lynx where they handed the top seed its largest deficit of the season, the Indiana Fever crashed hard in the regular-season finale. Minnesota locked down the floor, cruising to an 86-66 beatdown on Thursday night.
Here is the kicker: the Fever found themselves staring at a 62-32 halftime deficit. Indiana’s previous scoring low this season had been 79 points. Thursday night shattered that floor entirely as the offense dissolved against a relentless Lynx defense. Kayla McBride fueled the Minnesota charge with 22 points, hitting six 3-pointers, while Natasha Howard added 21 points and eight rebounds, according to Associated Press reporting via CBS Sports.
Clark Benched as Records Slip Away
Caitlin Clark endured the roughest outing of her professional career. Limited to just 18 minutes of action, she finished with two points, three assists, and four rebounds while shooting 1-of-12 from the field and going 1-for-8 by halftime. But the math tells a different story about individual milestones falling by the wayside. Clark entered the matchup just 11 points shy of becoming the WNBA’s first player to accumulate 900 points and 300 assists in a single campaign, but the defensive clampdown left her well short of the mark.
With the game out of reach in the third quarter—where the Fever fell behind by as many as 36 points, as detailed by Yahoo Sports—Indiana rested its starters. Sophie Cunningham was held scoreless across 16 minutes, mirroring the team’s broader offensive paralysis. The Lynx themselves played without rookie sensation Olivia Miles for a second consecutive game due to a left calf injury, yet still dominated both ends of the floor.
Milestones and Mounting Injuries
Amidst the wreckage of the blowout, Indiana managed a few historical notes. Kelsey Mitchell etched her name into the record books by hitting her 135th three-pointer of the season, passing Rhyne Howard’s previous mark of 134. Mitchell led the Fever with 10 points on the night, though the lopsided affair snapped her 27-game streak of scoring at least 20 points.
Worse than the scoreboard, however, was the physical toll. The Fever lost starting center Aliyah Boston to a right lower leg injury after she contributed four points. Backup guard Ty Harris also exited in the third quarter after landing awkwardly on a drive to the basket, leaving the floor in visible pain with a left ankle injury and being carried off to the locker room.
| Team | Final Record | Game Score | Playoff Seed & Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Lynx | 33-11 | 86 | No. 1 Seed (vs. New York) |
| Indiana Fever | 28-16 | 66 | No. 6 Seed (vs. Las Vegas Aces) |
Looking Ahead to Sunday
The regular season closes with Indiana finishing at 28-16, sliding down to the sixth seed. Because the Washington Mystics secured a victory earlier in the evening and the Fever lost the season series tiebreaker following a home defeat to Washington days prior, Indiana’s playoff path grew considerably steeper. They now pack their bags for the West Coast to face the defending champion Las Vegas Aces, led by MVP frontrunner A’ja Wilson, when the postseason tips off this Sunday.
Drop a comment below: Can the shorthanded Fever regroup in time to challenge the Aces, or did Thursday night expose fatal flaws in Indiana’s rotation?
