CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 08: Caitlin Clark #22 and Kelsey Mitchell #0 of the Indiana Fever are interviewed by ESPN reporter Holly Rowe after the game against the Chicago Sky at United Center on August 08, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) | Getty Images CHICAGO — Championships are often won on the back of a strong defense. At least that’s how the old adage goes. The Fever are looking to buck that trend this season on the back of their historic backcourt. On Sunday, Indiana used a strong second half to overwhelm the Sky, 113-90, in the final contest of their five-game road trip. Caitlin Clark tallied 37 points and 10 assists, the fifth 30-point, 10-assist game of her career. The rest of the players in WNBA history have four. At the same time, Kelsey Mitchell poured in 23 second-half points to finish with 30 on the night, extending her record streak of games with at least 20 points to 23. The Fever are on pace to have the greatest offense in WNBA history, at least by offensive rating, largely on the shoulders of their star duo. “I think it takes the pressure off me a lot, especially in moments like this,” Clark said of playing alongside Mitchell. “Like, you get tired when the game’s played at the pace that it is and you can hit her on a cut. You can give her the ball in an ISO situation. She just makes it so easy for me in the backcourt and she obviously pulls the defense to her quite a bit. “I think she had seven points at halftime, so 23 in the second half is pretty incredible. It’s just like nobody like bats an eye. I don’t think people understand how hard that is to do and she just does it consistently on a night-to-night basis. So, it’s been fun to get to see up close.” On the flip side, Clark has made the abnormal normal, too. Sunday was the 11th 20-point, 10-assist game of her season. No other player in league history has more than 10 for their career. Their simultaneous 30-point outings against Chicago marked the third time they’ve accomplished the feat, now the most in WNBA history. Kelsey is now on pace to break the single-season points record, held by A’ja Wilson. Caitlin’s 37 points on Sunday were the third-most in franchise history — a record she already owns — and her eight threes were a career-high. They combined to hit 14 threes on a night when the Fever hit 18 to set a franchise record. The list of achievements from the pair goes on and on and on. In a game like Sunday’s, it was necessary, too. Indiana came into the game wobbling. It was the fifth game in eight days, all away from home. Their road trip spanned over 4,000 miles, culminating in three games in four nights. After losing to Dallas on Thursday, they lost to New York on Saturday. In a playoff race as tight as this season’s, a losing streak can drastically change the postseason outlook. Add in the absence of Aliyah Boston, who was out with a leg injury, and Indiana faced a steep hill to stop their skid. A back-and-forth first half was played at a breakneck pace, but saw the two teams mostly trade buckets with Chicago leading 51-50. The second half was a much different story. The Fever stormed out of the gates in the third, using a 19-7 run to open up a double-digit lead. Fueled by a 14-point quarter from Mitchell, Indiana led 83-77 heading into the fourth. From there, Clark and Mitchell fully took over, trading threes, creating turnovers and setting up teammates to blow the game open. EIGHT THREES FOR CC 🔥 Caitlin Clark sets her new career-high with 8 triples tonight. pic.twitter.com/7rIT2UgNqK — Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) August 24, 2026 “I think I just came in with the mentality of knowing that my team needs me to step up tonight,” Clark said. “Obviously, with [Boston] going down like that, it hurts our team a little bit. So, I carry a little bit more of the load. “I think it’s all about your mentality coming into a back-to-back. You can either be like, ‘Oh I’m tired. We’ve been on the road. This, that,’ or you can buck up and go play basketball and have fun. I felt like our team had great energy coming into this game and had a great mindset about how we wanted to approach it. The victory didn’t feel like any normal one for the Fever. A third-straight loss would have started to put home-court advantage in the playoffs in doubt. It also would have forced the team, who won’t play again until Friday, to sit and wait for nearly a week after losing three straight games. “It’s huge. I mean, it’s really important,” White said of the win. “You’re at the end of what, six [games] in 10 days, coming in playing a team that’s playing really great basketball. For us to have that energy and have that burst in the fourth quarter, I’m really proud of our group.” Now, Indiana is back in the mix, sitting just percentage points behind Atlanta in fourth, one game behind Las Vegas in third and 1.5 games back of Golden State in second. All of it remains in play for the Fever over the final six games, five of which won’t take place until after the upcoming FIBA break. Last year showed how dangerous the Fever can be in the playoffs. Without Clark, Indiana took the eventual champions to the brink in the semifinals, falling in overtime of Game 5. Not only will they have Clark this season, but she’s playing at a top level. So, too, is Mitchell. It’s a pairing that the league has rarely, if ever, seen before in its history. Individually, they’re capable of winning a game on their own. Together, the Fever are hoping they can carry them far.