Dallas hopes for the return of injured standouts Arike Ogunbowale and DiJonai Carrington when the Wings visit the Indiana Fever on Sunday in Indianapolis.
The Wings (6-15) have lost two straight but are optimistic about getting Ogunbowale (16.8 points per game) back from a thumb injury. Carrington (11.8 ppg) remains day-to-day with rib issues.
On Wednesday, without two of its three leading scorers, Dallas fell 87-76 at Chicago. Rookie Paige Bueckers scored 17 points but shot just 5 for 20. Li Yueru tallied 18 points and 10 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to hold off the Sky. A rookie-heavy Wings lineup shot just 36 percent and allowed Chicago to shoot 50.9 percent.
“They’re only going to be better for … getting these experiences,” said Wings coach Chris Koclanes. “But that’s a lot of minutes that these players have never logged. … When your starting guard group has the shooting night that they did, it’s tough.”
Indiana is still trying to sort out roles after facing two brief stints without All-Star Caitlin Clark. Clark has scored a combined 22 points on 9-for-29 shooting in two games since her return from a groin injury. The Fever split those two games.
Indiana (10-10) defeated the Atlanta Dream 99-82 on Friday. After losing 80-61 to Golden State in Clark’s return on Wednesday, the Fever offense was clicking in her second game back. Clark shot just 5-for-17 on her way to 12 points but dished out nine assists against Atlanta.
Fellow All-Star Kelsey Mitchell was the leading beneficiary of Clark’s passing with 25 points. Sophie Cunningham (16 points on 4-for-5 3-point shooting) and All-Star Aliyah Boston (19 points) also reached double figures.
Indiana has battled health issues other than Clark’s, with Aari McDonald and Cunningham among the players who have missed significant chunks of the season.
“We’ve been talking all year about building consistency,” said Fever coach Stephanie White. “(Friday was) game two with our whole roster. And we still haven’t had a practice with everybody.”
The Fever won the first matchup of these teams this season 94-86 on June 27 in Dallas.
–Field Level Media
