Clark scores 29 to help Fever fend off furious Mercury rally

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Caitlin Clark started fast and finished with 29 points and 10 assists while Kelsey Mitchell scored 28 points to help the Indiana Fever fend off a furious second-half rally from the Phoenix Mercury for a critical 98-89 victory on Friday night.

In the first game since the Olympic break, Mitchell made six 3-pointers and Clark had four as the Fever celebrated the restart of the WNBA season by adding another twist to the budding rivalry between Clark and three-time league champion Diana Taurasi.

Indiana swept the three-game season series with Phoenix as Clark tallied the 10th double-double of her rookie season.

Kahleah Copper, one of Phoenix's three U.S. Olympic gold medalists, led the Mercury with 32 points and eight rebounds. The other two — Taurasi and Brittney Griner — finished with 16 points and 10 points, respectively, after scoring just 12 combined in the first half.

The rivalry was initially stoked in April when Taurasi predicted that Clark, the No. 1 overall pick, would face a rude awakening in her first pro season. Phoenix added more fuel this week with a Twitter video that included a young fan asking “Who's Caitlin? I'm here for Taurasi,” and then there were two brief scuffles during the game.

But whether it was the fatigue of Olympic competition or returning to action with two road games in two days, Taurasi and her teammates weren't themselves early — and it proved costly as the Mercury fell into a 48-20 deficit midway through the second quarter.

When Taurasi and Griner got going, though, the Mercury stormed back. They cut the halftime deficit to 54-37 and opened the second half on 25-7 run to take a 62-61 lead late in the third quarter.

It didn't last. The Fever capped a quarter-closing 12-3 spurt with Katie Lou Samuelson's buzzer-beating 3-pointer to take a 73-65 lead and never trailed again.

Former Fever star and Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings addressed the crowd during a first quarter timeout to celebrate the city's selection as next season's All-Star Game host. Catchings will be one of five co-chairs on the local organizing committee.

The league announced Indiana's selection Wednesday. The game will be played July 19. Phoenix hosted this year's All-Star weekend. Indiana hosted the 2024 NBA All-Star Game.

Before tipoff, the Fever paid tribute to the late Jim Morris, former vice chairman of Pacers Sports & Entertainment and an instrumental figure in the Fever franchise. He died in mid-July. Following a video, the Fever unveiled Morris' banner in the rafters.

He's the ninth player, coach or executive to be so honored and the first to have been honored for both the Fever and Pacers franchises.

Mercury: Hosts the Chicago Sky on Sunday.

Fever: Hosts the Seattle Storm on Sunday.

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball