Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston speak postgame after Fever blast Wings
The Indiana Fever beat the Dallas Wings 102-83 on Sunday afternoon.
INDIANAPOLIS – Natasha Howard calls them her “sweet spots,” the areas on the floor where she is most comfortable and capable of doing her most damage offensively. Get the 6-2 Indiana Fever forward the ball in the paint or around the basket and let her go to work, utilizing her footwork and touch around the rim to pile up points.
Consistency has been elusive at times for Howard, who opened the season with big games against Chicago and Atlanta, then averaged fewer than 10 points over her next 11. But when she’s on and her teammates are able to get her the ball in those spots — watch out.
Take Sunday’s 102-83 win over the Wings, for instance.
Howard accounted for eight points and a rebound over a three-minute stretch in the second quarter that doubled the Fever lead. Sophie Cunningham got Howard engaged to initiate the binge. She dropped a pass to Howard on the baseline, where No. 6 deftly dribbled around her defender and nailed the reverse layup. Seconds later, Cunningham snagged a long rebound and flung an outlet pass up to Howard for an easy layup.
“She’s constantly moving, cutting off the ball and (being) a good separator in ball screens,” Wings coach Chris Koclanes said of Howard, who finished with 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting with two steals. “She’s a good complement to everyone they have on the floor with her cutting, her movement and the pressure she puts on the paint and the rim.”
Howard’s performance against Dallas was in line with the numbers she produced between the end of June and early July. And if recent trends are any indication, she’s on the verge of another big run.
Prior to a two-game lull vs. Golden State and Atlanta (totaled 13 points, including just four in 16 minutes vs. GS), she averaged 15.2 points (76 total) over her five previous games, including an MVP-earning 16-point, 12-rebound, four-assist and two-steal effort in the Commissioner’s Cup championship game vs. the Minnesota Lynx.
That stretch — and the game Sunday — is a byproduct of Howard “playing her game” instead of “trying to fit in,” coach Stephanie White said. It’s also helped that the team has a better read on how and where to get Howard the ball and she has a better understanding of how to get to her spots.
Reaching that point has been all about communication.
“We talk to each other a lot,” Howard said. “And it starts in practice, letting my teammates know, ‘This is where I want the ball. Right here. That’s it.’ Now everyone knows what each of us is looking for.”
“She’s also changed her mindset,” White added. “She’s starting on the defensive end of the floor. She’s being active, she’s being aggressive and setting the tone on that end of the floor, which has opened things up and taken a little of the pressure off.”
Natasha Howard being recognized pregame for clearing 4,000 career points earlier this season *and* earning Commissioner’s Cup MVP.
Also here: Coach Stephanie White on Howard’s development this season, recent heater (she was so good Tuesday). pic.twitter.com/ALCkysrWdT
— hank 🇰🇷 (@Brian_Haenchen) July 3, 2025
Howard’s defense was a big reason the Fever brought her in last offseason and is a point of pride for the 11-year veteran, who said intensity on that end of the floor is “what gets me going.” She’s worked to build trust among her teammates and relishes the opportunity to lead by example.
“When my teammates see me hustling on the defensive end, that gets them going, as well,” Howard smiled. “When they see me going, they follow my lead and that’s one thing I like about the way I play.”
Howard and the Fever have a pair of road games before entering the All-Star break. They’ll take on Connecticut in Boston on Tuesday, then travel to New York to face the Liberty on Wednesday.
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