Despite the Indiana Fever losing to the Dallas Wings on Thursday, Kelsey Mitchell only took a half to make history for her team. In the closely contested 85-91 game at the American Airlines Center, the talking point after the game became the scintillating form Kelsey Mitchell is in. The 30-year-old set the league record for most consecutive games with 20+ points, with the Wings’ game being her 21st. The WNBA wasted no time in celebrating this feat.
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“Kelsey Mitchell now has 21 straight games with 20+ PTS, and she has done it all in one season! 🤩. Tonight marks Kelsey Mitchell’s 21st consecutive game with 20+ points, passing A’ja Wilson for the longest such streak in WNBA history!”
The previous record was held by the reigning WNBA MVP, A’ja Wilson, who had a streak of 20 games with 20+ points, a streak she began at the tail end of the 2023 season and continued into the first 15 games of the 2024 season. Her streak ended when she scored a season-low of 11 points against the Washington Mystics. Kelsey Mitchell‘s streak is unlike anything the W has seen before, and her high-volume scoring is pushing the Fever towards a legitimate title run this season.
The celebrations around Mitchell did not stop with the X post by the WNBA. The Indiana Fever also posted separately, honoring the veteran guard, who has been with the team since they drafted her back in 2018. In addition to this, longtime Fever beat reporter Scott Agness, closely associated with the franchise, posted Mitchell’s achievements on his X feed.
The veteran guard added another 16 points in the second half, even providing 5 assists throughout the game. Mitchell finished the night tying her season high of 37 points, 21 of which came in the first half itself. However, this was not enough as the Wings, even without rookie Azzi Fudd, held on for the win. This marks the Wings’ second victory in the three times the two teams have played each other this season. The last matchup, on August 14, saw the Wings fall 98-87 to the Fever. But Bueckers and Co. came hungry for revenge this time.
This was in no small part due to heroic efforts by Wings’ guard Arike Ogunbowale, who scored a season-high 32 points, and Jessica Shepard, who also added a career-best 26 points, eight rebounds, and an assist.
The game ended the Fever’s five-game winning streak, as Caitlin Clark was able to add 10 points and nine assists on the night. Aliyah Boston bagged 14 points along with nine rebounds.
Kelsey Mitchell has been in fine form this season, averaging 24.3 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game this season. She leads the Indiana team in scoring and is only behind A’ja Wilson, who is averaging 26.1 points.
Mitchell’s playstyle and scoring prowess have helped Fever head coach Stephanie White rotate and play the two of the league’s best three-point scorers. Clark ranks sixth, while Mitchell ranks fourth, in the number of three-pointers made this season, with Toronto Tempo guard Marina Mabrey leading the chase. But White has managed to fit both Clark and Mitchell into the same team with ease.
Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark’s High Output Pushing Fever’s Scores Up
Caitlin Clark has missed some game time this season due to injuries. In her absence, Mitchell has seen her usage and output both rise. With Clark averaging 22.1 points and Mitchell averaging 24.3 points, the Fever are the highest-scoring team in the league currently, with an average of 96.4 points per game. The Minnesota Lynx, who are second, average 92.2 points.
This is a luxury that not many teams have. It’s not easy to replace someone with Clark’s output, but that is precisely what Mitchell has done throughout this season, taking on the playmaking mantle in Clark’s absence.
While several fans have pitted Mitchell against Clark in the race for MVP this season, Mitchell has kept the focus on the team’s performance and winning, and has maintained that her relationship with Clark has been non-judgmental and supportive.
“I think the one thing about CC and her career is that people have already been judging her. She’s just really getting started and so my job is to not be that person,” Mitchell said during a practice session, per James Boyd.
“If I could for her in a different way, so like I said, I always kind of like asking her because of what she does and how she does it and the eyes and ears of all the people and it’s like that’s the only thing that I could do is kind of just kind of just be a presence for her.”
Clark and Mitchell contribute more than 45% of Indiana’s scoring output, per Basketball-Reference. So it’s essential that the duo share good chemistry.
Having a player like Mitchell also helps to keep the focus on basketball, as she has not offered any comments publicly amid the ongoing saga regarding her teammate Sophie Cunningham’s comments.
They are joined by Aliyah Boston to make the Big Three for the Fever. Boston’s center presence contributes essential blocks and rebounds for the team, and there is a significant lack of depth in her position on the roster. An injury to her could spell doom for the Fever in the playoffs. Boston currently averages 16.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game, complementing the high production of Clark and Mitchell.
Indiana fans will hope that the trio of Clark, Mitchell, and Boston, with their cross-court exploits, can propel them to their first WNBA Finals in more than a decade.