Caitlin Clark's Fever Sets WNBA Attendance Record, But Lose to the Mystics

Despite the Indiana Fever suffering a 92-91 loss to the Washington Mystics on Thursday night, standout Fever rookie Caitlin Clark was part of history once again. An official count of 20,711 fans showed up at the Capital One Arena to watch the game, representing a new record for the highest-attended WNBA regular-season contest. The game broke the previous regular-season record of 20,674, which was reached four times by Washington during the 1998 and 1999 seasons. The Mystics typically play at Entertainment & Sports Arena, which has a capacity of 4,200. However, the game was moved to Capital One Arena in anticipation of the large crowds that Clark typically draws.

Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever's Historic Game

The Fever had already clinched a playoff spot on September 4, with a record of 20-19 entering the team's final matchup of the regular season, they were already locked into the No. 6 seed before the game started. Clark finished with eight points and eight assists in 20 minutes against Washington, shooting 2-5 from the field which included two three-pointers. She sat for most of the second half as the Fever were already locked into the No. 6 seed. The Mystics are still in a tight race against the Chicago Sky and Atlanta Dream for the final playoff spot.

WNBA's Attendance Record

Washington isn't the only team to transition to a larger arena ahead of contests against Indiana, as the Las Vegas Aces hosted the Fever at the larger T-Mobile Arena for a July 2 game instead of playing in the relatively smaller Michelob ULTRA Arena. 20,366 fans attended the matchup, which represented the highest regular-season single-game attendance since 1999. Fans have also flocked to watch the Fever at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, with Indiana setting a new WNBA home attendance record during the 2024 season.

Caitlin Clark's Impact on the WNBA

After an impressive college career at Iowa, Clark has taken the WNBA by storm and appears to be in line to win the Rookie of the Year award. She's averaging 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 8.4 assists per game on 41.7/34.4/90.6 shooting splits. The game was a testament to the impact Clark has on the league.

Looking Ahead: Indiana Fever vs. Washington Mystics

The Indiana Fever vs. Washington Mystics game tips off at 7 p.m. ET tonight. The Fever vs. Mystics game will air on Prime Video and locally on WTHR-13 Indianapolis in Indiana. The game will also be available to stream after it concludes on WNBA League Pass. It’s Amazon’s fourth season serving as one of the streaming homes for the WNBA. This year, Amazon Prime Video is streaming 21 WNBA games free to all Amazon Prime subscribers. 18 of those games will be on Thursday nights.

How to Watch Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever

Looking to keep up with Caitlin Clark's rookie season? WNBA games will air across upwards of 10 channels and streaming platforms this season. If you need help figuring out where you can stream Caitlin Clark's next game or follow your favorite WNBA team this season, Yahoo Sports has you covered. Here are just a few of our top picks for ways to stream the 2024 WNBA season. For more ways to watch, check out our WNBA streaming guide.

Game Preview: Indiana Fever at Washington Mystics

The Indiana Fever (20-19) close out the 2024 regular season at Capital One Arena against the Washington Mystics on Thursday night with a WNBA Playoff berth secured for the first time since 2016. Indiana currently leads Washington in the regular season series, 2-1, with the last matchup resulting in an 89-84 Washington victory on July 10 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Thursday’s matchup will be Indiana’s first away game since September 1 after hosting a six-game homestand at the beginning of September. Indiana’s latest 110-109 victory against the Dallas Wings on Sunday locked in its position as the No. 6 seed in the 2024 WNBA playoffs. The No. 8 seed is still up for contention entering the last day of the regular season between the Mystics, the Chicago Sky and the Atlanta Dream. On Tuesday, Washington fell to the top-seeded New York Liberty, 87-71, putting the Mystics a step behind the Atlanta Dream for the final playoff spot. The Dream beat the Sky, 86-70, on Tuesday and secured one more win entering Thursday. The Mystics and Sky are tied at 13-26, sharing ninth place in the standings, but Washington holds the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Sky while the Mystics and Dream split the season series. For Washington to have a chance at clinching the eighth spot, the Mystics must win against Indiana on Thursday and all three aforementioned teams need to end up with the same record. Back on July 10 in the most recent matchup, Indiana outscored Washington in paint points, 42-38, fast break points, 26-9 and shot 53.4 percent from the field, but the Mystics bench outscored Indiana, 35-21. In all three matchups with the Mystics, Fever guards Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark and Fever forward NaLyssa Smith have all scored in double figures. During Indiana’s first win against Washington on June 7, Clark recorded 30 points and seven made 3-points field goals, which marked the most made 3-point field goals by a rookie in franchise history. Also during that game, the Fever set a franchise record for the most made 3-point field goals (16) in a game. In the second victory against Washington on June 19, Fever center Aliyah Boston and Mitchell both tallied 22 points. Indiana outscored Washington in paint points, 38-26, and outrebounded the Mystics 37-31.

Mystics vs. Fever Head-to-Head

In all three matchups with Indiana, Mystics center Stefanie Dolson and guard Ariel Atkins have both scored in double figures. In the first matchup, five Mystics players scored at least 10 points as Dolson led with 19 points, six rebounds and three assists. During the second matchup with Indiana, Atkins led with a game-high 27 points on 10-of-17 field goal shooting. Washington has demonstrated the strength of its bench, outscoring Indiana in bench points by at least three in all three matchups. At the start of the Olympic break, Washington compiled a 6-19 record and sat at the very bottom of league standings. Now fighting for the final playoff spot, Washington ranks third in the league for assists, averaging 21.5 assists per game, second in three-point shooting at 36.6 percent. Indiana is ranked third in the league for points per game, averaging 84.8 points per game as Mitchell and Clark are ranked seventh and eighth respectively, both averaging more than 19.5 points per game. The Fever rank fourth in the league for rebounds per game, averaging 35.1 rebounds per game, with Boston sixth in the league for rebounds per game with 9.0 rebounds per game and Smith ranked 14th, averaging 7.2 rebounds per game.

Fever vs. Mystics Prediction

On Thursday, Caitlin Clark will wrap up the regular season of her rookie year, as the Indiana Fever head to Washington to battle with the Mystics for the final game. Indiana has already locked up the No. 6 seed in the playoffs, stringing together its first 20-win season since 2015. Meanwhile, the Mystics must win Thursday’s game if they want a shot at the postseason; they will also need the Chicago Sky to win and the Atlanta Dream to lose, but they have to take care of business on their home floor first. Will the Fever carry their red-hot momentum into the postseason with a road game win against Washington? Look at our Fever vs. Mystics prediction and betting pick below to find out! It was a rough start to the 2024 season for Indiana, who dropped eight of its first nine games. However, something clicked for Clark, Kelsey Mitchell and the rest of this high-octane Fever squad after they returned from the All-Star break. Clark has gotten much of the attention, as she has been in the spotlight since her days at Iowa, but Mitchell has been nearly as impressive, at least in scoring the basketball. While both players have averaged just shy of 20 points per game on the season, their recent offensive outings have been jaw-dropping. Clark has averaged just shy of 25 points, 10 assists and six rebounds per game on a 43/38/92 shooting split over her past eight games. Meanwhile, Mitchell has posted 24.8 points per game on 50.2% shooting from the field, 45.4% from behind the arc and 87.2% from the charity stripe. It would not be an exaggeration to say that she has been the best shooter in the W since returning from the All-Star and Paris Olympics break. However, now that the Fever have clinched a playoff berth, they don’t have much to play for Thursday night. In fact, it would not be shocking if they rested Clark and Mitchell for most of the game. Even when they have been on the floor, Indiana has struggled to defend the 3-point line this season. Recently, it has been even worse. The Fever have allowed their past seven opponents to shoot 39.2% from behind the arc on the second-most attempts per game in the league. And there is one thing that the Mystics have done well all season: shoot the 3-ball. They rank second in 3-point percentage on the second-most attempts per game this season. Betting on games at the end of regular seasons can be wacky, so keep that in mind in this spot. Still, we will be backing the Mystics on their home floor. Our Pick: Washington Mystics -2 (-110, DraftKings)

How to Watch Fever vs. Mystics

Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever are back in action on Thursday, September 19 with a matchup against the Washington Mystics. The Fever are coming off a 110-109 win over the Wings, but they've lost three of their last five games as the postseason looms in the WNBA. The Mystics have struggled as of late, losing three of their last five. They're currently last in the East while the Fever are in third in the conference with a 20-19 record. As it stands heading into the game, the Fever are sixth in the overall league standings and the Wings are 9th. Here's everything you need to know to watch: