Indiana Fever End 2,138-Day Curse on Thursday Without Caitlin Clark

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated Jul 4, 2025 11:10 AM ET

The Indiana Fever made it three straight wins on Thursday night with a dominant 81-54 victory over the Las Vegas Aces. The Fever capped off their Commissioner's Cup championship victory on Tuesday with another win, as they improved to 9-8 on the season.

Indiana did that without their best player available as Caitlin Clark sat out again due to a lingering groin injury. This was the reigning Rookie of the Year's fourth straight missed game, and there is still no clear timetable for her return.

Thursday's victory wasn't an ordinary win for the Fever, either. It was the first time in nearly six years that they defeated the Aces, who secured back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023.

The last time Indiana won against Las Vegas was on Aug. 27, 2019, when the Fever secured an 86-71 victory at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Indiana then went on to lose 16 consecutive games against the Aces — a streak that finally came to an end on Thursday night.

It took the Fever 2,138 days before beating the Aces again. For context, Clark was still in high school the last time Indiana won against Las Vegas.

With Clark out of commission, it was Kelsey Mitchell who stepped it up for the Fever. The two-time All-Star went off for a team-high 25 points on 9-of-18 shooting, to go along with six assists, two steals and four triples.

Indiana will need Mitchell to keep her foot on the gas in their next game when they host the Los Angeles Sparks on Saturday, with or without Clark in the picture.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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