For the Indiana Fever, piling up victories in any form is all that matters.
Historically, that hasn’t been a problem when they face the Chicago Sky.
Looking to build on Monday’s emotional victory courtesy of Caitlin Clark, the Fever try for a seventh straight win over the scuffling Sky on Thursday night at Indianapolis in a contest that’s part of the WNBA’s Commissioner’s Cup.
Indiana (6-5, 2-1 Commissioner’s Cup) has posted just one winning streak this season, a three-game run May 17-22. A second streak is possible Thursday because Clark sank a 32-footer with 1.2 seconds remaining for a 78-76 win Monday at Washington.
Though the Fever blew a 17-point lead in the second quarter, they found a way to win. They hope that’s enough to fuel a run.
“This is a hard league to play in. You take a win any way you can get it,” said Clark, who had a game-high 19 points while going 4-for-10 from 3-point range.
“It’s a win for us. … We’re happy about that, but also you go back and take a look at everything and find a way to improve.”
There’s not much Clark can do to improve against Chicago. In five career games versus the Sky, she has averaged 20.4 points, 10 assists and 7.2 rebounds.
Since Chicago’s 88-87 win over Indiana on June 23, 2024, the Fever have won all six meetings by an average of 23 points.
Since losing leading scorer Rickea Jackson (18.0 ppg) to a season-ending knee injury in the fourth game of the campaign, the Sky (4-8, 1-3 Commissioner’s Cup) have lost seven of eight. After being called out by veteran guard Skylar Diggins following its 85-68 loss on Sunday at Toronto, Chicago delivered a much better competitive effort on Tuesday. The Sky led Atlanta after three quarters but were outscored 25-17 in the final quarter of its 82-75 home loss to the Dream.
The Sky shot 45.3% from the field, including 8-of-15 from 3-point range, but were outrebounded 36-25 in Angel Reese’s return to Chicago.
“I think there are things you can build on,” Sky coach Tyler Marsh said. “You want that level of competitiveness. … We’re committed to each other.
Diggins scored 17 on Tuesday to boost her team-high average to 14.6 points per game.
–Field Level Media
