Four Indiana Fever players scored in double figures, led by 21 from NaLyssa Smith, and the Fever erased as much as a 15-point deficit as it topped the Atlanta Dream, 83-80, in its second preseason game.
The Fever will open the regular season at the Connecticut Sun on May 14. Indiana’s home opener — also known as the home regular debut of No. 1 pick Caitlin Clark — takes place May 16 vs. the New York Liberty.
Clark had a rough shooting night Thursday against Atlanta, but still finished with an impressive stat line: 12 points, eight rebounds and six assists. She went just 4-of-12 from the field, including 2-of-9 from 3, but distributed the ball well (she’ll beat herself up about her six turnovers). She led the Fever in rebounding, an impressive feat for the 6-foot guard.
Six Atlanta players scored eight points or more, with Rhyne Howard leading the Dream with 13 points. Atlanta shot lights out in the first quarter, almost 70%, but cooled considerably after that, and in its final possession, could not get a shot off, turning the ball over with 1.9 seconds to play.
As usual, Caitlin Clark was her own worst critic.
After Indiana held on for an 83-80 preseason win over the Atlanta Dream, Clark told the media, “I don’t think I was that effective (scoring), honestly.”
The top pick in the 2024 WNBA draft said it with a wry smile, a reference to her 2-of-9 shooting performance from the perimeter.
Clark did quite a lot besides scoring though, racking up eight rebounds and dishing six assists. (She also finished with 12 points, so it’s not like she went scoreless or anywhere close to it.) She said getting a clean look can be tough in the pros, because opponents pick her up defensively full court and are extremely physical with her, especially as she’s coming off screens. It’s an adjustment, and one she’s learning how to do better every day.
But before Clark could critique herself anymore, teammate NaLyssa Smith jumped in.
“I’m gonna piggyback and say, she was effective, she was pushing us, getting us open shots, passing ahead,” Smith said. “Everyone’s gonna focus on the scoring, but she does a lot for us: She gets the ball where it needs to be. If you run the floor you better look up, because the ball is coming.”
Caitlin Clark shot 2-for-9 from 3-point range against the Dream.
The Fever rallied from 15 down in the second quarter to prevail and improve to 1-1 on the preseason.
Former Iowa Hawkeyes teammates Clark and Marshall had a moment on the court following the Indiana Fever's preseason win.
One thing about Caitlin Clark: she stuffs stat sheets both loudly and quietly.
It’s easy to be enamored with Clark’s game when she’s draining 3s and finishing touch drives in the paint. But even on a rough shooting night — she’s 4-of-12 from the field and just 2-of-9 from 3 — Clark is doing so much. Through three quarters she has 12 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Will she get to a triple double? It’s absolutely within reach.
As Clark does a little bit of everything, Atlanta is struggling. After shooting 68.8% the first quarter, the Dream have connected on just 26% (11-of-42) of its attempts as Indiana has surged ahead, 70-66.
Caitlin Clark was famous for her 3-point attempts from well beyond the arc during her time at Iowa, and it appears she's bringing the long-range shot to the WNBA.
I’m sure that first 3-pointer of the night for Caitlin Clark felt good.
After starting 0-of-4 from deep, Clark finally connected on her first 3 with 3:41 to play in the first half, hitting a step back, 26-footer to pull the Fever within eight.
At halftime, Atlanta is clinging to a 49-48 lead.
Indiana's NaLyssa Smith took over for a stretch, and already has 14 points and four rebounds — a huge reason why the Fever were able to able to erase a 15-point deficit and pull within one. (Though getting within one in particular was the work of 2024 second-round draft pick Celeste Taylor, who grabbed an offensive board and scored a putback as the buzzer sounded.)
Clark has eight points, four assists and four rebounds in 13 minutes of play so far.
For Atlanta, Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard both have 10, and Ariel Powers has eight off the bench. Indiana is outscoring Atlanta 24-16 in the paint.
It was a little bit of a rough start for Caitlin Clark, who went 0-for-4 from 3 in the first quarter, with Atlanta leading 30-24. Clark has scored twice though, both on driving layups, including an and-1. She’s already got five points and four assists.
One thing that’ll be interesting to follow with Clark this year: At Iowa, even on nights when she didn’t shoot well (they were rare) she had the green light every possession. Will she have that same freedom if she’s not shooting well with Indiana, or will the Fever lean on her to distribute the ball even more? Will she make that adjustment herself? Stay tuned to find out.
Cheyenne Parker-Tyler looks great for Atlanta, by the way, scoring 11 points and hitting all three of her shots so far.
Caitlin Clark's first basket for the Indiana Fever at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis came on a driving layup three minutes into the first quarter off an assist from center Aliyah Boston.
But the Atlanta Dream jumped out to an early 18-8 lead.
Indiana’s starting five is going to look a little different for preseason game No. 2. Erica Wheeler, who started for Indiana in the Fever's first preseason game, is sick and will not play, though she's on the bench in street clothes.
The Fever’s starters are as follows for Thursday’s game vs. Atlanta:
Here are the Atlanta Dream starters for tonight's game:
The Indiana Fever game against the Atlanta Dream is available on the WNBA’s League Pass. Fans can get League Pass by downloading the WNBA app. Preseason games are free. The game also is available for streaming on Fubo here (regional restrictions apply).
The Indiana Fever will open the regular season on the road on Tuesday, May 14 against the Connecticut Sun. The Fever's home opener is Thursday, May 16 against the New York Liberty.
Caitlin Clark likes to think of it as 10 seconds that changed her life.
Maybe that’s an exaggeration. Clark, who went No. 1 in the WNBA draft, probably would have grown up to be a transcendent basketball star even if Maya Moore, the 2014 WNBA MVP, hadn’t hugged her 10 years ago after a Minnesota Lynx game.
Clark probably would have still rewritten the record books, earned an eight-figure shoe deal and drawn millions of new fans to the women’s game.
But that 10 seconds made an impression. Read Lindsay Schnell’s story here.
If the 2023-24 women's college basketball season is any indication, the WNBA is primed for its most exciting and most watched season yet.
College stars like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso and Cameron Brink brought a whole new audience to the women's game, captivating the nation with their skills and personality. The rookies enter a league that already features the best pro basketball players in the world – players who are hungry to show off their talents to new viewers who might be checking out the WNBA for the first time.
There are some regular-season games you will want to circle on your calendar and carve out time to watch on TV or attend. Click here for 10 regular-season games to watch in the 2024 WNBA season.
The 28th WNBA season tips off next week, May 14, so it’s time to start thinking about what’s in store for women’s professional basketball the next few months.
There’s never been more excitement around the women’s game. With a star-studded draft class, a team going for its third consecutive championship and a Summer Olympics that will help drum up interest in women’s basketball, the WNBA is headed into its most-anticipated season since the league debuted almost three decades ago.
So what can we expect this summer? For starters, Caitlin Clark will lead the WNBA in assists and make the Olympic team. Read Lindsay Schnell’s bold predictions here.
The WNBA will begin charter travel for all 12 of its teams this season “as soon as we logistically can get planes in places,” Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told sports editors at a league meeting Tuesday afternoon, confirming a report on X by USA TODAY sports columnist Christine Brennan.
This very significant change in the way the world’s best women’s basketball players will travel to games will end the league’s long-standing policy of mandated regular-season commercial flights for its players.
Read more here.
Kamilla Cardoso, the No. 3 pick in last month’s WNBA draft, will miss at least 4 to 6 weeks with a shoulder injury.
The Chicago Sky initially announced Cardoso would miss Tuesday night’s home exhibition against the New York Liberty. But a short time later, the team said the rookie center would be sidelined indefinitely and will be re-evaluated in 4 to 6 weeks.
Read more from Nancy Armour here.
Midway through her book "Coming Home," Brittney Griner is informed of fellow American Trevor Reed’s release from a Russian penal colony. It is April 2022, and Reed is finally going home after being wrongfully detained for nearly three years. The news both elevates Griner’s spirit and breaks her heart, bringing her to tears.
"Only someone who has lived, prayed, cried and slept in a Russian prison can truly comprehend the daily indignities, the deep isolation that weighs on your spirit," Griner writes.
The memoir is a detailed accounting of Griner’s harrowing journey through a Russian legal system known for its corruption. Griner describes it as "a rigged system where the house always won." In February 2022, just a week before Russia invaded Ukraine, Griner was detained at the Moscow airport on her way back to UMMC Ekaterinburg, the Russian team she’d played with for nearly a decade during the WNBA offseason.
Read more from Lindsay Schnell here.
Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever will host the Atlanta Dream Thursday at 7 p.m. ET. The game will take place at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The game is not televised.
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