2024 Indiana Fever season | |
---|---|
Coach | Christie Sides |
Arena | Gainbridge Fieldhouse |
Attendance | 17,036 per game |
Results | |
Record | 20–20 (.500) |
Place | 3rd (Eastern) |
Playoff finish | 6th seed, Lost in First Round 0–2 to Connecticut Sun |
Team Leaders | |
Points | Caitlin Clark – 19.2 ppg |
Rebounds | Aliyah Boston – 8.9 rpg |
Assists | Caitlin Clark – 8.4 apg |
The 2024 Indiana Fever season was the franchise's 25th season in the WNBA, and their second season under head coach Christie Sides. The regular season tipped off against the Connecticut Sun in Connecticut on Tuesday, May 14, 2024.[1]
The Fever won the 2024 WNBA Draft Lottery and were awarded the first overall pick for the second year in a row; they used it to select Caitlin Clark.[2] The number one pick did not lead to a fast start to the season as the Fever lost their first five games. The closest of which was a two point loss to Seattle on May 22. The Fever would win their next game against Los Angeles to earn their first win of the season. They would go on to lose their next three games, including a rematch against Los Angeles to finish the opening month 1–8. June brought about a vast improvement from the team. They defeated Chicago by one point to open the month. They lost to New York, defeated Washington, and then lost to Connecticut before going on a four game winning streak. They would lose their next two games before winning the final game of June to finish the month with a 7–4 record. The Fever went 1–2 to start July but defeated New York. They defeated Phoenix and Minnesota before losing to Dallas. The team finished July 3–3 and headed into the Olympic break with an 11–15 record.
The Fever returned from the Olympic break and won their first two games of August. They lost in Minnesota by ten-points before winning their next three games. The highlight of August was a nineteen-point victory over Chicago. The team finished 5–1 during the month, and moved solidly into playoff position. They won their first two games of September and on September 3, 2024, the Fever clinched their spot in the 2024 WNBA Playoffs, ending their seven-year playoff drought (the longest in WNBA history).[3][4] They would go on to lose three of the next four games, including back-to-back losses to Las Vegas. They defeated Dallas by one point and lost to Washington by one point to finish September 4–4.
The Fever finished the season 20–20, which was sixth place overall. They faced off in the First Round against third seed Connecticut. They were swept in the series two games to zero, losing the first game 69–93 and the second game 81–87. Despite the sweep, the Fever made great strides, posting their highest regular season win total since 2015. Clark was named to the All-WNBA First Team, and was only the fifth rookie in WNBA history to be named to the team.[5]