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A little less than two weeks ago, the Indiana Fever found themselves in a tough spot. They had just been crushed by the reigning champion New York Liberty on either side of the All-Star break to fall to 12-12 and were clinging to one of the final playoff spots. To make matters worse, there was no clarity surrounding Caitlin Clark's right groin injury -- her third soft tissue ailment of the season. 

As the stretch run began, there were big questions facing the organization: Would the team be able to hang on to a playoff spot without Clark? (At the time they were 8-5 with her and 4-7 without her.) And if not, would their record dictate her return timeline? 

The answer to the first question was a resounding yes. They've won five games in a row to surge into fifth place and have climbed five games above .500 for the first time since 2015 -- the last time they won a playoff game. They're now closer to second (1½ games behind the New York Liberty) than they are to ninth (3½ games ahead of the Washington Mystics). And thus, we'll never know the answer to the second question. If anything, this hot streak should allow the Fever to be extra cautious with their superstar. 

It remains unclear when Clark will be back. "I still don't know how far [away] we are," Fever coach Stephanie White said on Sunday. "We're gonna take it one step at a time, one day at a time, and go from there."

The Fever need Caitlin Clark back. They are a better team with her, and any discussion of the contrary is delusional. But this winning streak has been a reminder of why their internal goals were to compete for a championship this season. There's a lot of talent in Indianapolis. 

Kelsey Mitchell is fifth in the league in scoring since the All-Star break (20.3 points per game); Aliyah Boston has recorded six consecutive double-doubles; Sophie Cunningham is shooting 47.4% since moving into the starting lineup on July 16; Natasha Howard had 21 points, five rebounds and five assists in the win over the Storm and continues to do whatever the team needs on both sides of the ball; Lexie Hull is the perfect glue piece off the bench; Aari McDonald and Chloe Bibby have been brilliant additions off the waiver wire. 

In the long run, Clark's repeated absences may end up being a "blessing in disguise," according to White. 

"We've got a deep team. We've got a great mix of veterans who have been in this league and who understand the ebbs and flows, and who understand injuries are a part of it, and young players who can continue to grow in their role, continue to gain confidence," White said Sunday. "I think I said it early when [Clark] was out the very first time. While we don't like it, sometimes it can be a blessing in disguise because everyone else finds themselves. No one is afraid to make the big play offensively or defensively."

Here are CBS Sports' latest WNBA Power Rankings.

WNBA Power Rankings

1
Lynx
The Lynx started the week by beating the Liberty in the first Finals rematch of the season and ended it by trading for DiJonai Carrington. In between, they destroyed the Aces by 53 points for the largest road win in league history. None of that matters all that much, though, while the team is still awaiting word on the severity of Napheesa Collier's ankle injury. The MVP frontrunner had to be helped off the floor after rolling her ankle with the Lynx up by 43 against the Aces.
2
Dream
The Dream continue to be awesome out of the All-Star break. After three more wins this week, including a 23-point demolition of the Mercury, the Dream have won five of their last six to climb into third place. In the process, they've overtaken the Liberty and now have the second-best offense in the league for the season (107.2 offensive rating). No other team is in the top-three in both 3-point attempts (28.1) and free-throw attempts (20.3) per game.
3
Fever
All of a sudden, the Fever cannot lose. Despite Caitlin Clark's continued absence due to a groin injury, they've ripped off five wins in a row and have climbed up to fifth in the standings -- just 1½ games behind the second-place Liberty. Aliyah Boston has recorded six consecutive double-doubles, and is averaging 15.2 points, 11.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.8 steals during the winning streak.
4
Liberty
Breanna Stewart has been diagnosed with a right knee bone bruise, and the Liberty have really missed her presence on both ends of the floor. Their win over the last-placed Sun on Sunday snapped a four-game losing streak, their longest since 2022. Emma Meesseman made her debut with the team on Sunday, and while she looked a bit rusty at times it was easy to see how well she'll fit into their frontcourt.
5
Mercury
An extremely shorthanded Sky team was just the matchup the Mercury needed to get back on track and end a 1-5 skid. They're hanging around in fourth place, but earning home-court advantage in the first round is no longer a lock. Satou Sabally was benched in the second half of their blowout loss to the Dream, got called out by coach Nate Tibbets for not bringing the right energy and then missed the win over the Sky for personal reasons. Tibbetts said her absence was unrelated to her benching, but the timing is going to raise some eyebrows.
6
Sparks
The Sparks' five-game winning streak came to an end with a loss to the Aces, but they immediately bounced back with a gritty double-overtime win on the road in Seattle. Kelsey Plum has scored at least 20 points in four consecutive games and is averaging 21 points and 7.2 assists since the All-Star break. During that span she's fourth in the league in scoring and second in assists.
7
Storm
After two defeats to end the week, including a double-overtime heartbreaker against the Sparks, the Storm have dropped to sixth in the standings. Since the All-Star break, they are 2-4, with their only victories coming against the Sun and Sky -- the two worst teams in the league. In fact, the Storm haven't beaten a team with a record above .500 since July 6. That's concerning, especially considering they have the second-hardest remaining schedule, with an average opponent winning percentage of .529.
8
Aces
This week epitomized the Aces' frustrating up-and-down season. Here's a quick review of their results: a 15-point win over the Sparks, a 53-point loss to the Lynx and a 24-point win over the Valkyries. Jewell Loyd has responded well to being moved to the bench -- 15.7 points on 50% shooting this week -- but the rest of the Aces' supporting cast remains a complete question mark.
9
Valkyries
The Valkyries had the bad luck of being the first team to play the Aces after their 53-point loss to the Lynx. Despite their 24-point loss in Las Vegas, this was an extremely positive week for the expansion club, which enjoyed a mini three-game winning streak to get back into playoff position. The fight that this group continues to show despite all of its injury problems is admirable.
10
Mystics
Come the end of the season, the Mystics may look back with dismay on their bizarre loss to the Valkyries this week. They trailed by 17 early, then held the expansion club to just six points in the fourth quarter, but still lost by one. The Mystics have now lost five of their last seven to fall to ninth place at 13-15 -- one game behind the Valkyries for the eighth and final playoff spot.
11
Wings
For the second week in a row, the Wings started off with a big upset -- this time over the reigning champion Liberty -- before losing back-to-back games. Of course, results matter little at this point in Dallas. Ahead of the trade deadline, the Wings continued to plan for the future by sending DiJonai Carrington to the Lynx for Diamond Miller, Karlie Samuelson and a 2027 second-round pick. Miller didn't have much of a chance in Minnesota, but the former No. 2 overall pick is a big talent.
12
Sun
Leila Lacan had 16 points in the Sun's upset win over the Liberty to continue her impressive play since arriving in the States last month. She's averaging 8.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 23 minutes, and her 1.9 steals would be good for second in the league if she qualified for the leaderboard. In Lacan's 10 games, the Sun have a plus-4.6 net rating with her on the floor and a minus-19.4 net rating when she sits.
13
Sky
This is quickly turning into a lost season for the Sky. Ariel Atkins hasn't played since before the All-Star break due to a leg injury, Angel Reese has missed four of the last five games with a back injury and the Sky have dropped eight in a row for their longest losing streak since 2012. It will be interesting to see what Jeff Pagliocca is able to do at the trade deadline. Flipping some of their vets for future assets could at least salvage something from this summer.