After an abysmal offensive showcase against the New York Liberty, the Indiana Fever find themselves even on wins and losses as analyst Tony Parker revealed what went wrong for Stephanie White's team.

Despite controlling most of the game, the Fever were unable to add a win to their Commissioner's Cup defense, ultimately falling 83-75 to the Liberty after a fourth-quarter collapse.

Parker, who stated the same, believes the underperformance of Aliyah Boston and her injury, along with several missed layup opportunities, were a big factor in the Fever's offensive inconsistencies.

"Their offense really died in the fourth quarter. Aliyah Boston, who exited the game at one point with what CBS on the broadcast called a lower leg injury, and that right leg that's been bugging her basically the whole season." Parker said.

"She struggled with some finishes in this game, and honestly, Stephanie White pointed this out post-game. She said the Fever missed 11 layups in her post-game press conference. I don't know if I hand-tracked the exact number, but it certainly felt like 11, if not even more than that. Boston, not off the hook for those struggles." Parker added.

Boston finished the game with 13 points on an inefficient 6-of-15 from the field. It looks like her right leg is still bothering her, as according to White, the Fever also missed 11 layups, and the 2024 No. 1 overall pick had a role to play in that.

Meanwhile, Caitlin Clark is on a scoring slump herself, accumulating just 10 points on 4-of-14 shooting and two three-pointers in six attempts.

The Liberty outscored the Fever 29-18 in the fourth quarter. The Fever were actually up by 3 until 6:26, when Clark picked up her fifth foul and was forced to take a seat, and the Liberty got things under control after that.

In a game full of inconsistencies and misfortunes, the only bright light for the Fever was Monique Billings' fiery performance.

Monique Billings was the Silver Lining in the Fever Loss

Billings arrived at the Indiana Fever during the offseason through free agency and already had ties with Caitlin Clark and Stephanie White after joining them in Team USAB during the FIBA World Cup qualifiers.

Billings did not have a breakout game with the Fever before facing the Liberty, averaging close to just 6 points per game. But she turned the tide in New York with 15 points on 6 of 7 shooting from the field, along with tallying 8 rebounds in 35 minutes.

What's more, she played solid defense throughout the contest, and her ability to score in transition (which was a big reason why fans expected her to be a difference-maker in Indiana) was apparent and led to some easy buckets.

White also acknowledged Billings' efforts after the game, as there might be conversations of starting the 30-year-old regularly.

Nobody will expect Billings to score 15 every game, but her inclusion adds another layer to the Fever's offense as well as some much-needed defensive work.

The Fever will now look to make it 6-5 for the season against the Washington Mystics on Monday night, and it will be interesting to see if White puts Billings in the starting lineup.

So, do you think the Indiana Fever can defend their Commissioner's Cup crown this season? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Joy Bassy

Edited by

Joy Bassy