No Clark, no problem: Fever claim Commissioner’s Cup title with win over Lynx

The 2025 season has been a mess for the Indiana Fever. Between injuries and roster movement, practically nothing has gone right -- until Tuesday night.

Indiana claimed its first Commissioner’s Cup title with a convincing 74-59 road win over the Minnesota Lynx. Despite not having star point guard Caitlin Clark in the lineup, the Fever took care of business against the top team in the league.

The Lynx entered Tuesday’s contest with a 14-2 record -- the best in the WNBA -- but had no answer for Indiana’s balanced attack. Natasha Howard (16), Sophie Cunningham (13), Aliyah Boston (12), Aari McDonald (12) and Kelsey Mitchell (12) all reached double figures. Howard and Boston added 12 and 11 rebounds, respectively.

The Fever, despite a slow start, closed the first half on an 18-0 run to take a 32-27 lead. Minnseota, which led by 13 points early in the second quarter, was limited to seven points in the frame.

“We have a resilient group,” Indiana head coach Stephanie White said. “They’re tough – mentally, physically. They pull for one another. I’m proud for them that they can see it come to fruition … It’s nice to take a trophy home, but this isn’t the ultimate goal. It’s a goal. And we’ve got to continue to get better.”

The Fever will host the Los Angeles Sparks on Saturday. 

When will Caitlin Clark return?

Clark was sidelined Tuesday with a groin injury for the third straight contest and has only appeared in nine games this season. She missed five consecutive games earlier this season with a quad injury.

“We'll see what happens as we go through shoot-around," White said Tuesday before the Fever-Lynx game. "Again, I think the most important thing for us is big picture. No sense in rushing anything, so we'll get her evaluated by the training staff and go from there."

What happened to DeWanna Bonner?

Bonner, a league veteran, was brought to Indiana over the offseason to add playoff experience to a young roster. She played in nine games, averaging 7.1 points per game, but was not happy with how she fit on the team.

“I want to sincerely thank the Indiana Fever for the opportunity to be part of the Fever franchise,” Bonner said. “Despite our shared goals and excitement heading into the season, I felt the fit did not work out and I appreciate the organization’s willingness to grant my request to move on, particularly at this point in my career. I wish the Fever great success as they continue to build around this dynamic group of young players.”

The Fever replaced Bonner with McDonald, who played three games with the team earlier this season, on June 25.

WNBA All-Star notes

Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston were both named starters for the 2025 WNBA All-Star game, which is set for July 19 in Indianapolis.

Clark received the most votes in WNBA history with 1.29 million. This shattered her previous record from last year (700,735). For comparison, the top 30 vote getters from the 2023 All-Star game received a total of 1.17 million votes. 

Clark and Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier have been named captains. They will draft their respective rosters from a pool of starters and reserves on Tuesday on ESPN.

Other starters include Paige Bueckers, Alisha Gray, Sabrina Ionescu, Nneka Ogwumike, Satou Sabally, Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson.

WNBA standings

Minnesota 14-2, Phoenix 12-5, New York 11-5, Atlanta 11-6, Seattle 10-7, Golden State 9-7, Las Vegas 8-8, Indiana 8-8, Washington 8-9, Chicago 5-11, Los Angeles 5-12, Dallas 5-13, Connecticut 2-15.

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