Until Caitlin Clark gets right, Fever have limited upside

The Indiana Fever lost a second straight game to the New York Liberty without Caitlin Clark.

In both games, the defending WNBA champions scored 98 points and ran away from the Fever late, as Indiana ran out of gas.

On Tuesday, without Clark for the 11th time this season, the Fever started strong and built a 46-42 lead over New York at the half. 

In the third quarter, Indiana led 67-60 before Breanna Stewart sparked a 9-0 run, giving New York a lead it wouldn't give back. 

Jonquel Jones connected on a trio of three-pointers in her return to the lineup on her way to a team-high 18 points.

New York had six players score in double figures. Indiana had four led by All-Star guard Kelsey Mitchell with 29, which led all scorers. Aliyah Boston was solid, too, with 15 points and 12 rebounds.

But it's more apparent than ever that without Clark, Indiana is just an also-ran.

The Fever just don't have the firepower to compete with New York, a team they defeated at home, in Clark's first game back from her first injury.

Since then, she's been injured and slumping. Frankly, it's been the story of her sophomore season in the WNBA.

As a result, Indiana is 12-12. The Fever are in sixth place in the WNBA and barely holding onto one of the final playoff spots.

Yes, there are 20 games to go, but time is running short. Indiana has looked like a top-four team at times this season, such as when they won the Commissioner's Cup on the road.

The Fever are still the only team to beat Minnesota on the road. They have beaten the Liberty, too. 

But without Clark, the player this team was built around, it just doesn't work. And it won't work with Clark playing below her standards, which she did for most of the first half of the season. The face of the WNBA is shooting 36.7 percent overall and just 27.9 from three-point range. 

That can't continue, not if Indiana wants to come close to realizing its potential. 

You could see the promise of this Indiana roster on Tuesday. The Fever went toe-to-toe with arguably the league's best team.

But until Clark gets healthy and gets right, Indiana has limited upside. Tuesday was a reminder of that.