Fever close season with 83-72 win over league-leading Lynx as Collier sits out

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Kelsey Mitchell scored 18 points and the Indiana Fever wrapped up the regular season with an 83-72 win Tuesday night over the league-leading Minnesota Lynx, who were resting MVP candidate Napheesa Collier.

Indiana (24-20) scored the first 10 points of the game and led by as many as 24, an impressive performance without star Caitlin Clark, who has only played 13 games this season and will not play in the playoffs that

begin Sunday.

Odyssey Sims scored 15 points for the Fever, who set a franchise record for most wins in a season. Aliyah Boston had 12 points and eight rebounds, breaking her own club record for rebounds in a season with 361.

Jessica Shepherd, starting in place of Collier, scored 16 points for the Lynx (33-10), who play their last game at home Thursday against Golden State. They finished 2 of 20 on 3-pointers.

Minnesota locked up the top seed on Aug. 30 but has only gone 5-5 in its last 10 games.

Indiana doubled up the Lynx 28-14 after one quarter and it was 49-36 at halftime.

Minnesota scored the first nine of the third quarter, getting within 49-45 when Alanna Smith drilled the Lynx’s first 3 of the night. But Indiana pulled away again and led 70-53 after three quarters.

Clark and U.S. soccer star Briana Scurry exchanged jerseys during the game with Clark also getting goalie gloves Scurry wore in the 2007 World Cup.