Two key Indiana Fever players have declared their retainment from the team today after…Read More….
The Chicago Sky still haven’t figured out the Indiana Fever. By the time they reach tipoff Sunday at Wintrust Arena, the teams might be sick of each other. This will be their third matchup in four weeks – and their second in eight days. And after the Fever won the first two meetings, the pressure is on the Sky to return the favor in their first home game of the season series.
The Clark challenge is a steep one. Caitlin Clark is averaging 16.2 points and 6.2 assists as she jostles with Angel Reese at the forefront of the Rookie of the Year race.
The guard has been the cornerstone of a four-game winning streak for the Fever, the team’s first since 2015. And she’s the driving force behind the sellout crowd expected to converge Sunday, with courtside tickets ranging up to $1,450 as of Saturday. Clark wasn’t the main concern in the first meeting, scoring 11 points in the June 1 matchup while shooting 4-for-11 from the field.
Her shooting snapped into form in the second matchup Sunday when she scored 23 points and added nine assists. While the Sky aren’t losing these matchups because of overwhelming scoring performances from Clark, any defensive scheme against the Fever begins with the star guard.
The Sky have tinkered with different 1-v-1 assignment for Clark defensively, but another Chennedy Carter matchup is likely Sunday. As a team, the defense will focus on two keys to slowing Clark: Get the ball out of her hands and don’t foul her when she goes to the rim.
Clark is still learning how to get herself to the free-throw line in the WNBA – ranked 17th in the league in free-throw attempts – but she took six in her last game against the Sky. But for the Sky, there’s another crucial challenge with shutting down Clark: her budding connection with center Aliyah Boston, who has found her stride after a rocky start.
