Kelsey Mitchell Leads All Scorers With 28 in WNBA All-Star Game

CHICAGO — Kelsey Mitchell scored 28 points on 11-of-19 shooting Saturday night, more than any other player in the WNBA All-Star Game, and added 5 steals as Team Coop lost to Team Spoon 129-122 at the United Center.

Mitchell went 5-of-11 from 3-point range in 22 minutes. She scored 11 points in the second quarter on 4-of-4 shooting and 10 more in the fourth.

Three of her steals came off Caitlin Clark, her teammate in Indiana. The last of them ended the game, when Clark threw a pass off her with three-tenths of a second left.

"It was really strange being on the other side of the ball from her," Clark said at the postgame press conference. "I swear she doesn't miss any shots, so I'm just really glad she's on my team most of the time because she makes my life really easy."

Mitchell started for Team Coop alongside Breanna Stewart, Paige Bueckers, Natasha Howard, and Gabby Williams. Fans, media, and players voted for the starters, and the league's coaches selected the reserves.

Saturday was Mitchell's fourth consecutive All-Star selection. Her first came in 2023.

"You savor every moment," Mitchell said. "Every time you get that call telling you you're an All-Star, you still hold your breath. Your stomach drops a little bit while you're figuring out what's happening."

Mitchell is working toward a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership. Clark has said Mitchell often works on school assignments 30 to 90 minutes before tip-off. Mitchell was asked about it at the press conference.

"The only time I really have to do my work is before my shooting routine, and everybody knows that's my time," Mitchell said. "I try to get as much done as I can, and then after the game I'll get on the plane, connect to the Wi-Fi, and finish whatever I can before 11:59."

Mitchell scored 3 points in the first quarter, 11 in the second, 4 in the third, and 10 in the fourth. She grabbed 3 offensive rebounds and scored the last basket of the game on a putback with 4.6 seconds left.

Team Coop trailed 81-64 at halftime and cut the margin to seven in the fourth quarter. All 12 lead changes came in the first half, and Team Spoon led by as many as 18 points.

Team Coop outscored Team Spoon 58-48 after halftime. The team shot 42.4% from the field and 21-of-66 from 3-point range, held a 58-56 edge in points in the paint, and was outscored 38-11 in fast break points.

Kelsey Plum was listed as inactive for Team Coop with a lower left leg injury.

Marina Mabrey scored 23 points off the bench for Team Coop, all of them before halftime. Gabby Williams finished with 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists. Bueckers had 12 points and 7 assists, and Breanna Stewart had 6 points, 13 rebounds, and 7 assists.

Jonquel Jones won MVP with 22 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists for Team Spoon. Clark scored 17.

The two rosters combined to attempt 127 3-pointers and make 41. Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon drafted the teams, Aces coach Becky Hammon coached Team Coop, and Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve coached Team Spoon.

Aliyah Boston was the third Indiana player selected and played 5 minutes.

Attendance was 19,783, a sellout and the largest crowd for a WNBA All-Star Game. It was the first All-Star Game held in Chicago since 2022, when the event was played at Wintrust Arena.

Mitchell has averaged 23.3 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 27 games this season. She has shot 49.8% from the field, 42.5% from 3-point range, and 84.8% at the free-throw line in 32.3 minutes per game.

Indiana is 17-10 and fifth in the standings, 4.5 games behind Minnesota. The Fever have won three straight and average 95.5 points per game, the most in the league.

Indiana plays at Seattle on Tuesday.