Boston ties career high with 27 as Fever dominates Atlanta

NDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Aliyah Boston tied a career high with 27 points, Kelsey Mitchell added 24 and the Indiana Fever closed on a 10-2 run for a 91-84 victory over the Atlanta Dream Thursday evening.

Caitlin Clark scored just seven points in her first game since being cut from the U.S. Olympic roster.

The selection committee, in its decision officially announced Tuesday, determined that the talented Clark did not have the necessary experience to be part of the group heading to the Paris Games this summer.

Indiana (4-10) scored 59 points in the first half and led by as many as 18, but had just 14 points in the first 14 minutes of the second half as Atlanta rallied. The Fever’s first points of the fourth quarter came on Mitchell’s free throws with 5:16 remaining.

Rhyne Howard tied it at 77 with 4:13 left and made another 3-pointer on the next possession for Atlanta’s first lead, 80-79, as it was 11-10.

But Atlanta (5-6) committed shot clock violations on consecutive possessions and Indiana scored four points following those possessions.

Mitchell converted his first basket of the second half with 47.1 seconds left for an 87-82 lead after a steal under the Atlanta basket.

Howard made two free throws to bring Atlanta within 87-84, but Boston spun in the lane and made a layup.

Boston also grabbed 13 rebounds for its third double-double of the season. Clark shot 3-for-11.

Howard, limited to eight minutes in the first half due to three fouls, finished with 26 points including six 3-pointers. Cheyenne Parker-Tyus had 18 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals off the bench. Allisha Gray added 12 points and Haley Jones scored 10.

Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton sat behind the Fever bench and 16-time hot dog-eating champion Joey Chestnut was on the court.