INDIANAPOLIS — By pretty undebatable consensus, Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark posted her best all-around performance in the WNBA to date in the team's 91-83 win over the Chicago Sky Sunday. The No. 1 pick had 23 points, shooting 7-for-11 with nine assists and eight rebounds.
“I’ve had some good games and I’ve had some games where there’s definitely some learning opportunities,” Caitlin Clark said afterward Sunday. “I think that’s one of the biggest things to learn as I go through my rookie season is finding some consistency… it’s been a tough stretch at the beginning with the amount of games we’ve played and the limited practice.”
Clark has been on triple-double watch this season before. The closest Clark’s been previously was an 11-point, 10-rebound and eight-assist performance in the team’s 78-73 win over the Los Angeles Sparks in May. The kicker was, she shot an abysmal 4-for-14 and 2-for-9 from three-point range.
Her 7-for-11 mark Sunday overall was her best field goal percentage of the season. In the first quarter, Clark pulled up beyond the arc off an excellent screen and drained it over guard Marina Mabrey. Clark blocked Lindsay Allen and on the next possession, flew by Mabrey for the layup.
For Clark, it’s all about consistency now. She began Sunday’s game great and continued that throughout. The next step is having that consistency shine through multiple games and on road trips.
Aliyah Boston stacks another great performance
Caitlin Clark was more in the background of the Fever’s 91-84 victory over the Atlanta Dream at home last Thursday. She only made three baskets, scoring seven points with four rebounds and six assists. Meanwhile, forward Aliyah Boston erupted for 27 points and 12 rebounds. On Sunday, Boston impressed with another 19 points, going 9-for-13, with 14 rebounds and five blocks too.
Boston recorded one more made basket than Sky starting forwards Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso combined. And in 11 fewer shot attempts by the way. Boston also blocked the 6-foot-7 Cardoso twice and Reese once. At Saturday’s practice, Fever head coach Christie Sides said Boston looked looser and more confident after the 27-point performance. It continued Sunday.
“For me… these two performances have been pretty good,” Aliyah Boston said afterward. “Just make sure (I’m) being efficient on the court and I think that’s the best way I can help my teammates.”
What will be sustainable long-term for the Fever?
The Fever have had to play many of the league’s superteams to begin the 2024 season, not to mention how busy that slate has been. In the past two weeks, the team’s schedule has eased up both in spacing and the strength of opponents. They next play the 2-12 Washington Mystics.
But the Fever have had to scrap for their past three wins over the Mystics, then the Dream and then the Sky Sunday afternoon. All were single-digit wins. The past two were tight in the waning minutes before free throws sealed the games. While the Fever are naturally improving with more practice time, which coincides with the more manageable schedule, this is the key.
“Probably for me, it’s those end-of-game situations where you have to get stops,” Sides said about what is sustainable. “We had some really bigs stop tonight as well, some big stops against Atlanta… in the past, that’s kind of where we struggled on the defensive end… these guys are starting to figure it out and understand how big those moments are.”
Sides also mentioned taking on challenges. For now, they’ll get the lighter side of the WNBA standings. They’re on the playoff bubble too. But in 11 days, it’s back to the fourth-best Seattle Storm.
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