Aliyah Boston broke out in a big way in the Indiana Fever's 78-73 win over the Sparks in Los Angeles.
After struggling to start the season, Boston seemed to let whatever was bothering her go, taking advantage of a Sparks frontcourt that was saddled in foul trouble all game. It appeared as if Boston knew that as well, attacking Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson whenever she was matched onto either player.
Whenever the Sparks attempted to counter with a smaller player to put pressure, Boston took advantage of that as well, not letting up on the offensive end. Overall, Boston finished with 17 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field, six rebounds, two assists, and two blocks, showing how effective she was against the Sparks.
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Boston's big night comes after she had endured weeks of rough pla y. Before her 17-point outburst to help lead the Fever to their first win in the 2024 WNBA season, Boston struggled from the field, shooting just 39.5 percent from the field, seemingly playing timidly as she continued to build rapport with Caitlin Clark .
Against the Sparks, however, Boston just played and let the game do the talking for her. As such, Fever head coach Christie Sides could not be more proud of the way Boston battled back after having a tough start to the season.
"She just needed a good win, a good showing tonight," Sides told reporters after the game. "I think she just needed some confidence. Aliyah beats herself up more than anybody - she just needed some confidence to get going and she just stayed solid anything we needed her to do.
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"She was just ready to set a hard screen or we ran some sets for her to get touches on some mismatches. She just wants to win and she showed that tonight."
Moreover, Boston's impressive showing comes after fans on social media have begun attacking the young forward for her rough start to the season. As such, Dawn Staley had come to Boston's defense , especially after the latter missed a layup against the Connecticut Sun in a tightly contested matchup.
Because of the vitriol she's received, Boston deleted social media and began to focus more on how she wanted to live, rather than paying attention to trolls behind a computer screen. "For me, I logged out of social media because I have to protect my peace," Boston said after season-best performance.
"There's just a lot of couch coaches, a lot of people that have never stepped on the floor that just continue to tell you how you should be playing basketball, messing up whatever bets or whatever they have going on. Personally, I'd rather not know because obviously, I did try to get those rebounds, I just didn't.
"And so, I just logged off. It's been better for me ... and it's been a blessing because ... no matter what, all this that's happening on social media, it's because I'm going through a season and I can't wait to get out on the other side."
The Fever will have an opportunity to build off their first win of the season against the Sparks, facing the defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces in a back-to-back.
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