The big news prior to the Indiana Fever’s game against the Washington Mystics was delivered at the beginning of the week: Star guard Caitlin Clark will miss at least two weeks with a left quadriceps strain.
So while the Fever gear up for their road game against the Mystics on Wednesday in Baltimore, they are looking at the big picture in terms of getting Clark, the WNBA’s marquee player, back in action.
“For me, it’s maintaining perspective,” Indiana coach Stephanie White said. “It’s making sure that we address this in a way that doesn’t affect long-term. That we take care of it, don’t over-push, don’t over-exert. Making sure that we take the long-game approach to this so that we’re not having lingering issues throughout the course of the season,”
Clark averaged 19 points, 9.3 assists and 6.0 rebounds per game across four outings this season. The injury occurred sometime during Indiana’s weekend loss to the New York Liberty.
The Fever (2-2) have plenty of players capable of filling some of the statistical void in Clark’s absence. Aliyah Boston averages 18.5 points and 10.8 rebounds and Kelsey Mitchell provides 17.8 points per game. But in terms of facilitating, Clark led Indiana in assists in every game so far.
The Mystics (2-3) will try to shed a three-game losing streak that has come by a combined 11 points.
Washington dropped a 68-62 road decision to the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday despite rookie Kiki Iriafen’s double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds and rookie Sonia Citron’s 14 points. Iriafen has four consecutive double-doubles.
“She has certainly earned the respect of her teammates,” Mystics coach Sydney Johnson said. “Early days, but we’re excited.”
Team scoring leader Brittney Sykes (22.3 ppg) had a season-low 10 points in Phoenix. Citron has led the Mystics in scoring the past two games.
Indiana’s defeats have come by a combined three points. The Fever will play their second road game of the season.
In Indiana’s 90-88 home loss to New York on Saturday, the Liberty attempted 17 more free throws than the Fever, something that White said doesn’t make sense given the style of play they used.
“I might be able to understand that if we’re chucking 3s, but we’re not,” White said.
–Field Level Media
