The absence of Caitlin Clark has not stopped the Indiana Fever from blossoming into one of the WNBA’s more cohesive and dangerous teams.
Aliyah Boston, Aari McDonald and company will try to guide the Fever to a sixth straight victory Tuesday when they visit the Los Angeles Sparks.
Indiana (17-12) earned a 78-74 win at Seattle on Sunday, withstanding a push by the Storm in the final five minutes. Boston, the No. 1 overall draft pick the year before Clark, recorded her franchise-record-setting sixth straight double-double (16 points, 12 rebounds).
“She’s really the rock of our team. She’s even-keeled, she’s high-IQ, everybody trusts her on both ends of the floor and she’s our backbone,” Fever coach Stephanie White said, also noting that Boston is serving as more of an offensive facilitator this year.
McDonald, originally an emergency hardship signing in early June, went for nine points and nine assists at Seattle. McDonald has averaged 9.8 points and 4.7 assists in 18 games with the Fever, including 14.0 points and 5.4 assists during the winning streak.
Natasha Howard led the Fever on Sunday with 21 points (10-of-12 shooting) and Sophie Cunningham bombed in 4 of 5 3-point attempts to finish with 17 points.
Clark is not expected back for Tuesday’s game as she continues to recover from a groin injury. She’s with the team on its current road trip, which ends Thursday in Phoenix. White said she’s recovering well but emphasized that Indiana does not want to rush the situation.
Before Indiana owned the longest active winning streak in the league, the mantle belonged to Los Angeles (12-15). The Sparks won five straight from July 13-26 and rebounded from a 15-point loss to the Las Vegas Aces by beating the Storm on Friday, 108-106 in double overtime.
Dearica Hamby made the game-winning layup with less than five seconds to go in a game that saw 14 lead changes and 12 ties.
The Sparks have rocketed to third in the league in points per game (85.5), just ahead of Indiana (85.1). Four players scored at least 21 at Seattle, and Kelsey Plum ranks fourth in the WNBA at 20.3 points per game.
Los Angeles, though, has the fewest home wins of any team in the league and is just 3-9 on its own floor.
“We have Indiana at home. They’re playing great basketball,” Plum said. “… When we start to look at the standings and where we’re at, every game is critical. Defending home court is the way that you get into the playoffs.”
–Field Level Media
