"That's pillar of mine": Aari McDonald spills the beans on her biggest strength after career night against Mercury

Aari McDonald starred as the Indiana Fever continued their winning momentum on Wednesday night, despite the absence of Caitlin Clark, with a hard-fought 107-101 victory over the Phoenix Mercury. The Fever extended their win streak to three games, thanks to a career-best performance by McDonald.

Amid a quiet month of July, where she scored in double figures in three of 11 games, McDonald erupted for a career-high 27 points on an efficient 63.6% shooting against Phoenix.

During an on-court interview after the game, Aari McDonald revealed the change in her attitude that sparked a turnaround in her performance.

“Just tonight, it was all about confidence. That's a pillar of mine,” McDonald said (7:12). “I didn't like how the way I've been playing this last couple stretch. And I think that I was kind of lacking a bit of confidence, not seeing the ball go in the net as I like to.”

“But tonight I was just in an attack mentality, aggressive mentality. I think just me being fearless and not just thinking, just overanalyzing stuff, I think that was how I was successful tonight.”

Apart from scoring 27 points, McDonald also fulfilled her role as the primary playmaker, recording a team-high four assists. She was supported by Aliyah Boston, who lodged a 22-point, 12-rebound double-double, as the Fever rallied from a 12-point deficit in the first quarter to win.

Aari McDonald receives flowers from Indiana Fever teammates on social media

Aari McDonald going off for a scoring burst on Wednesday, dropping a career-high 27 points, led to well-deserved praise from her Indiana Fever teammates.

Natasha Howard celebrated McDonald’s memorable night by sharing the Fever's Instagram post, featuring a graphic with McDonald's stats.

“Good shii 2,” Howard, who recorded six points and six rebounds against the Mercury, captioned her Instagram story.

McDonald reshared the story and expressed her gratitude:

“Appreciate you, Tash.”

Other teammates with larger followings, including Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston and Lexie Hull, also showed their support by resharing the Fever’s Instagram post. The graphic included the final score along with an image of McDonald celebrating her career night.

Aari McDonald and the Indiana Fever now travel to Texas to kickstart their four-game road trip with a clash against the Dallas Wings on Friday.

About the author

Advait Jajodia is an NBA, WNBA, and tennis journalist at Sportskeeda with over four years of experience in the field with The SportsRush.

Advait has a love of basketball that stems from playing the game, and has represented Mumbai North at the Inter-District State Championship and Maharashtra at the ASISC National Games.

His favorite team is the New Orleans Pelicans, although Advait also has an affinity for the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs. His favorite player of all time was Kobe Bryant, as the Lakers legend's undeniable talent and mentality were just unignorable. As for players in the current game, Stephen Curry, Zion Williamson, Victor Wembanyama, and Kyrie Irving are top of Advait's list.

When not watching or writing about sports, Advait is a fan of true crime shows, board games and console gaming.

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Edited by Bhargav