Kaitlin Clark talks about the latest WNBA drama surrounding her
USA TODAY Sports’ Christine Brennan asks Caitlin Clark about all the extra attention she’s been receiving since joining the league.
It’s time to Caitlin Clark against. Angel Reese Part 3.
In what has become one of the toughest rivalries in the WNBA, Indiana fever (7-10) will face Chicago Sky (5-9) for the third time this season — but the first time in Chicago — on Sunday afternoon. Ticket prices rose for the matchup between two of the league’s biggest young stars as fans in Chicago finally got to see Clark and Reese battle in their home arena.
USA TODAY will get the latest news and highlights from game at Wintrust Arena. Follow along to get live updates.
CHICAGO — The stars came out for the first game in Chicago between the Sky and the Indiana Fever.
Chance the Rapper, who became a Sky fan during their title run in 2021, was sitting courtside next to Jason Sudeikis, who was wearing a WNBA sweatshirt. Sudeikis is a famous fan of Caitlin Clark, having attended many of her games at Iowa State and since joining the NBA.
Also in attendance: Mary Dillon, CEO of Foot Locker; Arne Duncan, former US Secretary of Education; and Craig Robinson, brother of former First Lady Michelle Obama. — Nancy Armour
Indiana fever: 39
Chicago Sky: 35
This section is updated during the official deadlines and at the end of each quarter.
CHICAGO – Chendy Carter is at the center of the Indiana Fever-Chicago Sky once again.
But this time because of her crime.
Carter, who performed the hip check heard around the world in the first meeting between the two teams three weeks ago, led all scorers with 11 points as the Sky led 28-26 after the first quarter. Kelsey Mitchell has 10 points for the Fever, going 2 of 4 from 3-point range.
Caitlin Clark also has a pair of 3s while Angel Reese has four rebounds. — Nancy Armour
The Indiana Fever vs. Chicago Sky nationally on ESPN.
The Fever vs. Sky is available to stream on ESPN+ and Fubo.
The game will also be available on-demand on WNBA League Pass when it’s finished. Fans can get League Pass by downloading the WNBA app.
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Angel Reese, Chicago Sky host Caitlin Clark and Indiana Fever Sunday at 4pm ET (3pm CT). The game will be held at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.
Kaitlyn Clark has played 17 games so far in the 2024 WNBA season, through June 21, and has started every game.
Clark is averaging a team-high 16.2 points and 6.2 assists as well as 5.4 rebounds per game. Clark is shooting 39.6% from the field, 3.8% from 3-point range, and 89.9% from the free throw line. They also top the Heat in steals (1.4), turnovers (5.6) and minutes per game (33.4).
Angel Reese has played 14 games so far in the 2024 WNBA season, through June 20, and has started every game.
Reese is averaging a team-high 12.4 points, a team-high 10.8 rebounds, and a team-high 1.9 steals per game. Reese is shooting 38.6% from the field and 75.3% from the free throw line, while adding 2.1 assists per game.
Caitlin Clark helped the Fever win their fourth straight game, leading a balanced attack Friday night in Indiana 91-79 win on the road On the Atlanta dream.
Clark, one of five Fifer players in double figures, scored 16 points and added seven assists and four rebounds to lead Indiana. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft made 6 of 12 field goals and knocked down 4 of 8 3-pointers.
Clarke, in her 17th game, surpassed 100 assists in her young career and tied with legendary goalkeeper Sue Bird as the third-fastest player to reach the milestone. -Ellen J. Horo
Kaitlyn Clark’s experience as an online subject and her experience playing basketball in real life are two completely different things.
On social media, they serve as a blank canvas for bad-faith actors to push agendas and stir up discord. But personally, she’s doing what most online sports fans in the world seem to hate the most.
It makes more people enjoy watching sports. There’s a disconnect between the way people experience the Clark phenomenon online and what actually happens — as happened in Atlanta on Friday night when so many people paid real money to fill an arena that even some very good NBA teams have struggled to sell out in years past.
Read more about Kaitlyn Clark in Dan Wolken’s column.
Angel Reese recorded her seventh straight double-double on Thursday to lead the Chicago Sky over the Dallas Wings 83-72. Reese scored 16 points and grabbed a game-high 18 rebounds to set the WNBA rookie record for most consecutive double-doubles. She broke the mark she shared with Tina Charles (2010) and Cindy Brown (1998).
Reese is the only rookie this season to average a double-double. In the Sky’s first 14 games, she had just one and didn’t reach double digits in points or rebounds. She also leads the entire league in offensive rebounds (68). -Nancy Armour
All those people who doubted that Angel Reese’s game could translate to the WNBA must feel silly these days.
However, Reese’s transition has been smooth. Or she made it seem that way, anyway. Reese isn’t just Chicago’s most productive player either. It was also the most reliable. In 14 games with the Sky, she only scored less than 10 points twice. There was only one game in which she failed to reach double figures in either points or rebounds.
“I knew what I was bringing to the league,” Reese said after the win over the Dallas Wings on Thursday. “I don’t really care about the outside stuff. I knew my game would translate because I bounced back and played hard. I play hard all 40 minutes and you can’t teach that. You can’t teach that mentality to Dag.”
Read more about Angel Reese in Nancy Armour’s column.
The Indiana Fever went 2-0 over the Chicago Sky in the 2024 WNBA season, winning both games in Indianapolis. The Fever recorded their second win of the 2024 WNBA season and their first at home on June 1 when they beat the Sky 71-70. On June 16, the Fever beat the Sky 91-83.
After today’s game, the teams will play again in the regular season: Friday, August 30 in Chicago.
CHICAGO — Blame Justin Timberlake for why Fever-Sky was a tough ticket.
Timberlake played at the United Center on Friday and Saturday night, meaning he was not available even if Sky wanted to move the game to capitalize on the massive interest in it. The United Center seats nearly 20,000 while Wintrust Arena, the Sky’s home arena, seats just over 10,000.
“It’s a little smaller arena, so it’s harder to get a ticket,” Kaitlin Clark said before the game. “We were driving around and there were a lot of lines of people already trying to get in. So I think people are really excited to see this rivalry. They’re two WNBA teams that are in the Midwest where I grew up, and I know how much they love women’s basketball in that area.”
“You can feel it as you get off the bus,” she added. “I think once everyone gets into the building, it’s going to be special.”
Tickets for the Fever-Sky game have long been sold out. With an admission price of $271, it is the most expensive ticket in WNBA history, according to TickPick.
The interest in the match, the first this season in Chicago between the two teams, does not come as a surprise. Clark and Sky’s Angel Reese have been linked since the 2023 NCAA Championship game, when Reese mocked Clark after her LSU team beat Clark’s Iowa team for the title. Their first meeting as professionals heightened the hype, with Sky’s Chennedy Carter downing Clarke with a hip kick on a ball that was later upgraded to a Flagrant 1.
Although Sky coach Teresa Witherspoon said it’s too early to call this a competition, it certainly has everything going for it.
“The lights will be on here,” Reese said. “I love women’s sports because they haven’t had big crowds in a long time. Being able to do that and being able to be here in this moment and continue to grow women’s basketball is what matters to me.”
Don’t let the spells fool you, as Sky and Fever don their cool suits in just a matter of time.
Caitlin Clarke, Angel Reyes and the rest of the Sky and Fever rosters arrived with some killer looks before the match on Sunday afternoon. Of course, the only thing that matches their dominance on the pitch is their style off the pitch.
Kaitlyn Clark notched a triple-double (again) as the No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft helped the team Indiana Fever wins 91-83 To achieve his second victory over Chicago this season.
Clark led all scorers with 23 points, while also providing nine assists and grabbing eight rebounds. After two tough shooting games, Clark found a rhythm against Chicago, hitting her first three attempts and finishing 7 of 11 from the field; She also went 6 of 6 from the free throw line. -Lindsey Schnell
Angel Reyes scored 11 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in a 91-83 loss to the Indiana Fever last Sunday. But the league’s best offensive tackler was forced to sit a long stretch in the third quarter due to foul trouble and shot just 4 of 13 from the floor. -Lindsey Schnell
The rivalry between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reyes has carried over to the WNBA. The hype surrounding the upcoming match is leading to record ticket prices.
The average ticket purchase price for the Indiana Fever’s game at the Chicago Sky on Sunday is $271 on TickPick, making it the most expensive WNBA game ever, according to Ticket Marketplace. The entry price for the game on TickPick was $231 as of Thursday evening. Sunday’s contest is four times more expensive than the $57 entry price at their last game in Indianapolis less than a week ago. – Jordan Mendoza
All those people who doubted that Angel Reese’s game could translate to the WNBA must feel silly these days.
However, Reese’s transition has been smooth. Or she made it seem that way, anyway. Reese isn’t just Chicago’s most productive player either. It was also the most reliable. In 14 games with the Sky, she only scored less than 10 points twice. There was only one game in which she failed to reach double figures in either points or rebounds.
“I knew what I was bringing to the league,” Reese said after the win over the Dallas Wings on Thursday. “I don’t really care about the outside stuff. I knew my game would translate because I bounced back and played hard. I play hard all 40 minutes and you can’t teach that. You can’t teach that mentality to Dag.”
Read more about Angel Reese in Nancy Armor’s column.
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