Duo of Fever MVP candidates hope to bolster chances vs. Sun

Which Indiana Fever player, Caitlin Clark or Kelsey Mitchell, will challenge Las Vegas superstar A'ja Wilson for Most Valuable Player honors when the regular season ends late next month?

Both look to take steps in that direction on Friday night when Indiana aims to strengthen its playoff positioning against the Connecticut Sun in Indianapolis.

Clark delivered a 37-point, 10-assist double-double in Sunday's 113-90 rout of Chicago, upping her season averages to 22.1 points per game and 8.3 assists. Mitchell chipped in 30 points, improving her scoring average to 24.8 ppg, marking the most efficient season of her nine-year career.

Teammate Lexie Hull believes both deserve consideration.

"I think any of them deserve it for sure. It just shows the success of our team," Hull said. "They'll do whatever we need for our team to win, and it's showing up on the stat sheet for sure."

With both playing at the top of their game, the Fever (25-14) lead the league in scoring (96.6 ppg), field goal percentage (48.9%) and 3-point percentage (39.5%). They have scored 100-plus points in 18 games, including three of the last four.

It would not be surprising if Indiana made it four of five against Connecticut (10-28), which is coming off an 89-64 home loss Wednesday night against Golden State. The Sun trailed 55-27 at halftime and by as many as 35 points in the fourth quarter.

If Connecticut had a bright spot Wednesday night, it was Charlisse Leger-Walker. Taking over point guard duties with Leila Lacan bolting to lead France's national team at the upcoming World Cup, Leger-Walker finished with a career-high 17 points and four assists.

"Offensively, she's taking more responsibility," Sun coach Rachid Meziane said of Leger-Walker. "That's something we are expecting from her, to shoot the ball more and to be more aggressive and sometimes to be a little more selfish instead of just organizing."

The Fever have won both meetings with Connecticut this year, including a 123-88 rout on July 22 in Indianapolis. Clark (27), Mitchell (23) and Aliyah Boston (22) combined for 72 points.