Indiana Pacers star point guard Tyrese Haliburton has been radio silent since going down with a torn Achilles in Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. That changed on Tuesday night when he took to social media to send a message to the Indiana Fever.
Despite not having Caitlin Clark on the floor, the Fever were able to take care of business and defeat the Minnesota Lynx by a final score of 74-59.
Without Clark playing, Indiana saw Natasha Howard step up in a huge way. She scored 16 points to go along with 12 rebounds, four assists, and two steals in the win.
Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Behind Howard, the Fever received a big performance from Aliyah Boston with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists. Sophie Cunningham came off the bench to score 13, while both Aari McDonald and Kelsey Mitchell chipped in 12 apiece.
Read more: WNBA Legend Gets Honest About Fever Star Caitlin Clark’s Biggest Problem
Following the Fever’s Commissioner Cup win over the Lynx, Haliburton made his first social media post since June 25. It was short and sweet.
“LFG,” Haliburton posted while tagging Indiana.
While the win doesn’t mean a whole lot in the big picture of competing for a championship, the Fever will now split a $500,000 prize pool. The win could also be a big momentum swing for an Indiana team that has struggled with consistency and injuries.
Right now, the Fever hold an 8-8 record. That is far from the expectations that had bene put in place for the team at the start of the season.
Entering the 2025 campaign, Indiana was expected to be a WNBA championship contender. Clark was expected to be a top-tier MVP candidate.
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As for Haliburton, he is at the beginning of a long process to get back on the court for the Pacers. He is expected the miss the entire 2025-26 season barring an unforeseen early return.
His injury has already caused change for Indiana, as the team opted to not go into the luxury tax to re-sign Myles Turner. It’s a rough turn of events for a Pacers team that appeared to be opening a championship window for at least the next year or two.
Indianapolis is a city that has been through a lot recently from a basketball perspective. Seeing the Fever win the Commissioner’s Cup may not be a WNBA championship, but it’s something for the city to celebrate nonetheless.
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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
