The Indiana Fever took care of business on Saturday by taking down the Atlanta Dream, 81-76.
All eyes were on Caitlin Clark, who finished with a team-high 13 points, six rebounds, seven assists and three triples in 23 minutes of action to help lead the Fever to an undefeated preseason run.
There was a bit of extra-curricular activity after the game, though, with Fever star Aliyah Boston involved in a verbal exchange with Dream player Naz Hillmon after the final buzzer.
Hillmon was seen approaching Boston in a seemingly aggressive way after the game. It looked like Boston was shocked by how Hillmon confronted her, leading to a verbal back-and-forth between the two.
what is she saying to AB????? pic.twitter.com/PCB63QRAZm
— drafts (@drafts95452567) May 10, 2025
As it turns out, however, it was nothing more than friendly banter between the two. Boston immediately took to social media after the incident to clear the air. She sent a message to Hillmon to express that they had no "beef" whatsoever.
"@nazhillmon please let’s tell the people ain’t no beef lmaoo cause they taking this and running " Boston posted.
@nazhillmon please let’s tell the people ain’t no beef lmaoo cause they taking this and running https://t.co/8oZRbLvgOS
— Aliyah A. Boston (@aa_boston) May 10, 2025
Hillmon responded to the message, too, confirming that there is, indeed, no bad blood between them.
"Omg they dragging it!! All jokes babes wish yall saw our handshake after see you soon AB" Hillmon replied.
Omg they dragging it!! All jokes babes wish yall saw our handshake after see you soon AB
— Naz Hillmon (@nazhillmon) May 10, 2025
As it turns out, this was nothing more than two friends just having a conversation after battling on the court.
Boston did not have the best of games in this one, though, finishing with nine points on 3-of-7 shooting, to go along with five rebounds, an assist and a steal in 20 minutes of action.
The Fever will need more from her this coming season as Boston looks to resume her role as Indiana's second star behind Clark.
More must-reads:
Caitlin Clark is expected to sit out for a fourth straight game on Sunday when the Indiana Fever take on the Chicago Sky in a much-awaited rivalry matchup. The 23-year-old is still dealing with a reaggravated groin strain and has no timetable to return. The rest of her Fever teammates have had to step up in her absence. There is, perhaps, no other player who has taken a bigger role on the offensive end amid Clark’s injury spell than three-time All-Star Kelsey Mitchell. Mitchell, however, struggled with her shot in Thursday’s win against the Las Vegas Aces. The 5-foot-8 guard shot the ball poorly in the first three quarters, going just 4-of-19 from the field for 12 points. Mitchell caught fire in the fourth, though. She went 4-of-5 in the final frame for nine points, finishing with a game-high 21 points on 8-of-24 shooting. This is exactly why head coach Stephanie White remains completely confident in Mitchell’s scoring ability. The veteran coach has made it clear that she has given Mitchell the green light to shoot the rock. “The biggest thing with Kelsey is just telling her, ‘Let it fly.’ It’s going to go,” White said after Thursday’s win against Las Vegas. "... Keep shooting it from outside. She made some big ones when we needed them.” Kelsey Mitchell Has Stepped up Amid Clark's Injury Mitchell has answered the call for the Fever of late. In the three games Clark has been sidelined, Mitchell has put up averages of 22.0 points on 42.9% shooting. She also knocked down 2.7 triples during that stretch on a 34.8% clip. The 29-year-old veteran will need to keep her foot on the gas on Sunday as the Fever try to take down the Sky at United Center. With Clark watching from the bench, the Fever will rely on Mitchell’s scoring against Chicago as they look to improve on their 13-12 record. The Fever and Sky meet at 3 p.m. ET Sunday on ABC.
There may be more to Christian Wilkins’ recent surprise release from the Las Vegas Raiders. NFL reporter Josina Anderson reported Saturday that "some sources believe an incident involving a teammate may have factored in-part into the Raiders' fatigue and release" of Wilkins. The nature of the incident is not clear. However, many believe the Raiders had a very good reason to move on from Wilkins considering the money they had invested in him. It also suggests the Raiders saw no alternative if they went straight to a release. Wilkins was dumped by the Raiders just one year into a four-year, $110 million deal. The Raiders suggested Wilkins failed to take rehab seriously as he tries to work his way back from a foot injury. Other teams do not appear to have the same concerns about Wilkins as the Raiders did, and he should find a new landing spot fairly easily. That is one of the reasons some suspect there is more to the Raiders’ decision than they are publicly saying.
The Kansas City Royals were hoping to bolster their outfield ahead of the July 31 trade deadline. They were able to do just that in a trade on Saturday. Steve Gilbert from MLB.com reported that the Royals have acquired outfielder Randal Grichuk from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Mark Feinsand from MLB.com reported that relief pitcher Andrew Hoffman will head to Arizona in exchange for Grichuk. The Royals desperately needed help in their outfield. Royals outfielders had been the worst in the majors, posting an atrocious .219/.273/.328 batting line with just 19 home runs entering Saturday's action. Although Grichuk is in the midst of a disappointing season himself, he is an immediate upgrade over whatever the Royals have sent into the outfield. Grichuk had posted a .243/.280/.462 batting line in 186 plate appearances entering Saturday, hitting seven homers and 15 doubles. In exchange, the Diamondbacks receive Hoffman, who FanGraphs ranked as the Royals' 22nd-best prospect entering the season. His upper-90s fastball and new kick change are both considered plus offerings, although his ability to command his arsenal is questionable at best. Hoffman's potential and flaws were evident this season. He made his major league debut for the Royals, allowing six runs, two earned, on seven hits and four walks over 4.2 innings, striking out five. However, Hoffman had dominated at Triple-A, posting a 3.60 ERA and a 1.125 WHiP over his 40 innings, striking out 55 batters with just 10 walks. He is another intriguing addition for a Diamondbacks team that has prioritized pitching in their two trades thus far. The same upside does not exist for the Royals. Kansas City had the same record as the Diamondbacks entering the second game of their doubleheader against the Guardians. Grichuk signed a one-year contract with $5 million guaranteed for 2025. There is a mutual option worth $5 million, with a $3 million buyout, for 2026. Theoretically, Grichuk could be part of the Royals' plans next season. However, mutual options are rarely picked up. As the Royals are currently under .500 and need to pass four teams in the standings to seize the final wild-card spot, adding a rental option does not make sense. It is possible that both sides can work out an arrangement for 2026, but unless that happens, the Royals' latest move is questionable at best.
Damian Lillard was briefly linked to the Celtics after being waived and stretched by the Bucks, but that possibility came and went quicker than a Jrue Holiday text. Turns out Holiday did shoot his shot. “As soon as I was waived … he sent me the eyeball emoji,” Lillard said at his introductory presser in Portland. “I already knew where I was pivoting to when he sent it, but I didn’t want to say nothing too soon, so here we are.” “Here” is back in a Trail Blazers uniform. And while Lillard isn’t expected to play this season as he recovers from a torn Achilles, the idea of him as a long-term Jayson Tatum insurance policy briefly crossed Boston’s radar. That was about as far as it got. As MassLive’s Brian Robb wrote, the Celtics never had the financial path to compete with Portland’s three-year, $42 million offer. Boston only has the $5.7M taxpayer MLE to work with — and using that might’ve meant shedding some other salary just to stay under the second apron. Who’s starting at center? In a new mailbag, Robb projects Neemias Queta as the likely starting center if the roster stays put. That would give Boston a lineup of Queta, Jaylen Brown, and Derrick White, with the last two spots up for grabs. Payton Pritchard vs. Anfernee Simons at point guard? Sam Hauser vs. Georges Niang at forward? Maybe Josh Minott sneaks into the mix? Yeah, it’s July. But hey, the debates have begun. No Davison, slim Simmons ddds Boston officially parted ways with JD Davison this week, ending a three-year run with the former second-round pick. According to Robb, the team just didn’t see NBA-level growth. And what about that open roster spot? Ben Simmons is out there. But Robb pegs the odds of Simmons landing in Boston at just 10-20 percent, mainly because he’s expected to get better money (and probably a bigger role) elsewhere. More NBA News Rumors
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