Phoenix Mercury’s Natasha Cloud Addresses Scuffle With Kelsey Mitchell

The Indiana Fever restarted their 2024 WNBA campaign with a bang, pulling off a 98-89 win over the Phoenix Mercury at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

With the victory, the Fever moved to 3-0 on the season against the Mercury, completing the season sweep.

This game was dominated by multiple different heated interactions between both teams, but one that stood out was the scuffle between Phoenix’s Natasha Cloud and Indiana’s Kelsey Mitchell.

Both players started jawing at each other after Mitchell shoved Cloud for setting a screen. The two had to be broken up, and both received technical fouls after the referees reviewed the altercation.

Following the game, Cloud took part in a postgame press conference and addressed the minor fight with Mitchell, saying they are “competitors.”

“That’s my dog,” Cloud said. “Two competitors. Me and Kelsey have gone at it for years now. We played at AAU together. I have nothing but love for her. You saw us at the end, too; it’s always love. That’s just competitiveness of the game. I love that s**t… But everything’s cool.”

Cloud finished the contest with 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting, three assists, and three steals. Mitchell added 28 points on 50% shooting for the Fever, which tied her season-high.

With the win, the Fever jumped to 12-15 on the season, but they remained in the third-place spot in the Eastern Conference. The Mercury fell to 14-13 and also kept their position in the West standings, sitting in fourth place.

If the season were to end today, Indiana would hold the seventh seed in the playoffs, and Phoenix would own the sixth. Eight total teams are able to obtain a spot in the playoffs, regardless of conference.

The Fever will play their next game on Sunday, August 18, at 3:30 p.m. ET against the Seattle Storm. The Mercury will host the Sky later that night, whom they just beat by 20 points on Thursday.