Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever tumble in latest WNBA power rankings from The Athletic
The Indiana Fever are coming off a 1-2 record over the past week, dropping their overall record to 6-7. They picked up a testy home win over the Connecticut Sun to begin the week before dropping back-to-back road games against the Golden State Valkyries and Las Vegas Aces, blowing second-half leads in both games.
Following the return of Caitlin Clark and a big win over the New York Liberty, the Fever came in third in last week's WNBA power rankings from The Athletic. After a 1-2 record this past week, where did The Athletic place the Fever in this week's power rankings?
Where do the Fever rank in this week's WNBA Power Rankings?
The Fever took a tumble in the power rankings this week, falling from third to eighth after a pair of road defeats. The Athletic dove deeper into the Fever's second-half struggles this season and why they've had problems closing games so far.
Indiana went on the road with a chance to build off its statement win over New York, but it came up short twice. Despite building double-digit second-half leads against the Valkyries and the Las Vegas Aces, the Fever's defense fell apart in those fourth quarters, dropping them below .500 yet again.
Although Indiana has an above-average defensive rating for the season, it is mostly propped up by blowout wins over the Chicago Sky. Against Golden State, the Fever were undone by poor defensive rebounding and an inability to defend without fouling (a problem that also existed in 2024). Against Las Vegas, fouling was again an issue, as was transition defense. The Aces took the lead for good on Aaliyah Nye's transition 3-pointer when Caitlin Clark sank a little too far back, leaving a clean look for Nye from the wing.
Indiana may withstand poor defense on the road if their offense traveled, but the Fever's league-best offensive rating of 111.9 points per 100 possessions drops to 94.6 (11th in the WNBA) away from Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Clark has made 44 percent of her 3s at home and is 1-of-22 on the road. If that normalizes, perhaps Indiana can resolve its road woes.- Sabreena Merchant
The rest of the WNBA power rankings for this week are as follows:
What's next for the Fever?
The Fever return to action Tuesday night when they face the Storm in Seattle. That tip-off is at 9 p.m. on NBA TV.
After that, they return home to host the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday. Tip-off against the Sparks is at 6 p.m. on Prime Video. To end the week, they'll travel to Dallas to face the Wings on Friday night. That tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on ION. The Fever will look to bounce back and rise back up the power rankings.
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