The Phoenix Mercury are going up Sunday against the Indiana Fever, and one of the Mercury's stars knows it will be a hard game. Mercury guard Diana Taurasi says Caitlin Clark will be bringing it on Sunday.
“Indiana is a super talented young team, they are going to come in here and play well,” Taurasi said. The veteran thinks the game will be a fun matchup.
The Mercury are having a decent season. Phoenix is 9-8 on the year and in need of some more victories, especially away from home. The team is a solid 7-2 in the desert, but only 2-6 away from Arizona. The Mercury are 6-4 in their last 10 games. That includes five wins in their last seven contests.
Taurasi is third on the team in scoring, with 16.5 points per game. She is also the club's third leading rebounder, grabbing 4.8 rebounds a contest. She had a terrific game in a recent meeting with the New York Liberty. Phoenix defeated New York on June 18, behind 19 points and 9 rebounds from the veteran. She led her club that day in both stat categories.
She's had a very successful career in the WNBA. Taurasi has played in the league for 20 years, and each and every game has been with Phoenix. She's led the Mercury to three league championships. She has twice been named the WNBA Finals MVP. She also won the league's MVP award in 2009. She has a slew of other accolades, including 10 appearances in the WNBA All-Star game. Taurasi is without a doubt one of the best players to ever grace the WNBA, and also a shining example to Clark of what to aspire to.
Taurasi also won the Rookie of the Year Award with the Mercury in 2004. That is an honor that Clark would love to have in her pocket once this season over. Clark has a lot of competition for that accolade, including from her college rival Angel Reese. Reese is playing with the Chicago Sky and averaging a double-double.
Indiana's season with Caitlin Clark heading into Mercury game
Caitlin Clark is just starting her career, but many expect her to also have a glimmering pro career. The Fever have had an uneven season in Clark's rookie campaign. The team stumbled out of the gate, with a 1-8 record. The team has found some spark since then as the club is now 7-12 on the year. Clark is making her case that she should be the WNBA Rookie of the Year. She's averaging more than 16 points and 5 rebounds a game.
The Fever are coming into the contest Sunday with some urgency. The team has dropped two straight games, and needs to pick up some wins to get back into the conversation for postseason play. Indiana clearly does better when Clark is also doing well. She's scored in double digits in five consecutive games, including 23 in a win earlier this season against the Chicago Sky.
The Mercury and Fever play at 3:00 Eastern on Sunday. It will be so fun to see these two stars battle each other for the very first time.
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