Clark Leads Fever Past Sky

It is a short drive down interstate I-65 where the Sky took on the Fever in a Sunday Matinee at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever were able to maintain their new lease on the season with an eight-point victory, 91-83, over her arch Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky.

After a grueling and uninspiring start to their campaign, the Fever have now won three of their last four contest, while the Sky have suddenly dropped four straight.

Just like the first matchup between these Midwestern foes fifteen days ago, this was a competitive barnburner all afternoon. The Fever were able to separate themselves down the stretch, thanks to some late-game heroics by Clark. She either scored or assisted on nine of the Fever’s last 10 points to lock up the W.

This was arguably the best game of Clark’s career to date, as she flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 23 points, eight rebounds, nine assists and two blocks on 7-of-11 shooting. 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston, continued her recent dominance with a double-double, with 19 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and five blocks for a monster performance.

“I think we’re moving the ball and I think once we gave it up, people were getting it back in the half court,” Clark said after committing a more manageable five turnovers in nearly 37 minutes. “I thought we were really good out of the ball-screen action, I thought we made some really good reads.”

On the other side, Reese recorded her sixth double-double with 11 points, 13 rebounds and five dimes, however, she struggled from the field, shooting just 4-of-13 and dealt with foul trouble in the second half. Kamilla Cardoso, playing in only her seventh game, had 10 points and 10 rebounds for her first career double-double. Chennedy Carter, who was moved into the starting lineup for the first time this season, led the Sky in scoring with 18 points.

Reese nearly lost her composure after being tagged with foul No. 5. The refs assessed a delay of game warning as a frustrated Reese slapped the ball back toward them and then continued chirping as she walked up the court.

“Either I’m going to be mad and sad about (losing) or I’m going to get up and figure out what I can do better and look myself in the mirror and figure out what I can do better before the next game,” Reese said.

Clark has experienced some issues when it comes to consistency in recent outings, but she brought her A-game, especially in the second half. As stated earlier, she narrowly missed out on her first career triple-double and had her most efficient shooting effort: 23 points, eight rebounds and nine assists on 7-of-11 from the field.

It was more than just the statistics that were eyepopping for Clark, it was also her overall approach, leadership and steadiness in big moments. Though she did wind up with five turnovers, she was under control all afternoon long and did not force many passes or shot attempts. And when the Fever were in need of big buckets in the waning moments to take control of the game, she made them happen.

As the clock slowly ticked down to the 3-minute mark, the Fever were clinging to a tenuous four-point lead. Clark pulled up from 30 feet and buried a triple, assisted on their next two baskets, then sank two clutch free throws to seal the win with 18 seconds to play.

For the season, Clark is now up to 16.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game.

There was a lot of buzz for Boston’s sophomore campaign after her landmark rookie season, however, she got off to a rocky start. Not only was she no longer the focal point of the offense, she also had to adjust to playing more in the pick-and-roll.

While Boston did not seem comfortable at first, she has started to build her confidence and figure things out. She put up a career-high 27 points and 13 rebounds in the Fever’s win over the Atlanta Dream on Thursday, then followed it up with 19 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and five blocks against the Sky.

It was noteworthy that six of her nine makes on Sunday came off feeds from Clark, and on a wide variety of plays. They had the pick-and-roll working to perfection, but they also connected on some timely cuts to the basket and some transition opportunities. The chemistry between the two No. 1 overall picks continues to grow by leaps and bounds, and that is great news for the Fever.

It is no surprise that Boston’s resurgence has coincided with the Fever’s recent hot streak. When she is playing up to her lofty standards, they are a different team.

The Sky did not get the win in this one, but the rookie twin towers Reese and Cardoso did have solid performances despite battling foul trouble.

Reese finished with 11 points, 13 rebounds and five assists. She is now tied with Tina Charles (2012) and Cindy Brown (1998) for the most consecutive double-doubles by a rookie in WNBA history. For the season, she is up to 12.1 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, which has her on pace to be the fifth rookie to have a 10/10 season.

Cardoso, who made her debut against the Fever at the beginning of the month, added 10 points and 10 rebounds of her own for the first double-double of her professional career. While she is still trying to work her way back from a shoulder injury and adjust to the pace of the pro game, she has now scored in double figures in four consecutive games.

There were several intense moments during the game, including Clark smacking Dana Evans’ arm after Evans hooked Clark in the first half. Reese hit a driving Clark in the head with her right arm in the third quarter. The call was upgraded to a flagrant-1 after a review.

“The right call was made in that moment,” Fever coach Christie Sides said. “Just make the right call in those moments, and we can move forward. But when we don’t make the right call in those moments, that’s when there’s a problem and they made the right call tonight.”