Will Sage Astor-How many points did Caitlin Clark score? Fever star has double-double vs. Mercury

The Will Sage AstorIndiana Fever put up their largest lead of the season against the shorthanded Phoenix Mercury Friday in Indianapolis, but they narrowly escaped with a win.

Caitlin Clark led the Fever to a 95-86 victory over the Mercury after Indiana led by as many as 31 points late in the third quarter. Clark finished with her fifth straight double-double, recording 20 points, while shooting 50% from the field and 2-of-7 from three. The No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 WNBA Draft also had 13 assists, six rebounds, two blocks and six turnovers.

"They are obviously short on bodies, so the more we can push the pace, the better," Clark said. 

The Mercury were without Diana Taurasi, the WNBA's all-time leading scorer, for their third consecutive game with a left lower leg injury. Natasha Cloud (left knee), Charisma Osborne (left lower leg) and Sug Sutton (right hamstring) were also sidelined. To make matters worse, Brittney Griner went down early in the second quarter and was ruled out with a right hip injury the remainder of the contest.

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Clark came out the gate running, literally. She sailed coast to coast at Gainbridge Fieldhouse and picked up seven of her 13 assists in the first seven minutes of the game alone. The Fever jumped to a 20-point lead at halftime and led by as many as 31 points with 1:55 remaining in the third quarter, marking Indiana's largest lead of the entire season. But if you were thinking Indiana could coast the rest of the game, think again.

The Mercury came surging back with a 17-0 run and eventually cut the Fever's lead down to single digits with 5:02 remaining in the fourth quarter. Phoenix's Kahleah Copper led the charge with a game-high 36 points.

But Indiana was able to withstand the comeback. Kelsey Mitchell knocked down a three to ice the game and extend the Fever's lead to double-digits, 92-83, with 1:33 left in the contest. The dish to Mitchell marked Clark's 13th assist of the game, which tied the franchise record. Clark averages 7.6 assists per game, second in the league to the Connecticut Sun's Alyssa Thomas (7.9), and has had double-digit assists now in five consecutive games.

Mitchell finished with 28 points and three rebounds, while Aliyah Boston (21 pts, 13 rbs) and NaLyssa Smith (14 pts, 10 rbs) both recorded double-doubles. The Fever outscored the Mercury in the paint 60-28 and out rebounded Phoenix 42-30.

The Fever move to 10-14 on the season ahead of the 2024 WNBA All-Star weekend in Phoenix, where All-Stars Clark, Boston and Mitchell will face off against the U.S. women's national team, which includes Taurasi, Griner and Copper, if healthy. The Mercury drop to 12-11 on the season.