Indiana Fever v. Chicago Sky
Saturday, June 1
Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 12 p.m. ET
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Broadcast Information
ESPN
Probable Starters
Indiana Fever (1-8)
Guard – Kelsey Mitchell (14.1 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 2.1 apg)
Guard – Caitlin Clark (17.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 6.6 apg)
Center – Aliyah Boston (11.0 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.3 apg)
Forward – Kristy Wallace (4.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.4 apg)
Forward – NaLyssa Smith (10.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.0 bpg)
Chicago Sky (3-3)
Guard – Dana Evans (12.5 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 4.2 apg)
Guard – Diamond DeShields (8.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.8 apg)
Guard – Marina Mabrey (17.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 5.2 apg)
Forward – Angel Reese (11.0 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.3 spg)
Center – Elizabeth Williams (12.0 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 2.2 bpg)
Game Status Report
Indiana: Temi Fagbenle – Out (Left Foot)
Chicago: Isabelle Harrison – Probable (Knee), Kamilla Cardoso – Probable (Shoulder)
GAME PREVIEW:
The Indiana Fever (1-8) will close out its three-game home series on Saturday at 12 p.m ET against the Chicago Sky (3-3) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Saturday’s contest will be the first of four meetings between Indiana and Chicago and the start to the 2024 Commissioner’s Cup. The reconfigured structure for the WNBA’s in-season tournament will see each team play a total of five Commissioner’s Cup games, one against each of its in-conference rivals.
All games played during the two-week period from June 1-13 will be Commissioner’s Cup qualifying games. Teams will play either three Commissioner’s Cup games at home and two on the road, or two at home and three on the road. All Commissioner’s Cup games will be a part of the team’s 40-game schedule and will count toward the team’s regular-season win-loss record.
In its most recent game on Thursday, the Fever dropped its second contest against the Seattle Storm 103-88. Fever forward NaLyssa Smith walked out with a new milestone as she surpassed 1,000 career points in her 72nd career regular season game. Smith finished the night with her 23rd career double-double, highlighted by 23 points and 10 rebounds. Thursday night was Fever rookie guard Caitlin Clark’s fifth game scoring 20 points or more, as she recorded 20 points, a career-high nine assists, three rebounds and one block.
Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell grabbed eight points in the first quarter and had 14 overall, as well as four assists. Fever center Aliyah Boston recorded a double-double of her own with 11 points, a season-high 12 rebounds and five distributions. Overall, the Fever made 20 of its 22 free throws, 21 assists on 29 made field goals and outrebounded the Storm 36-32.
Thursday night in Chicago, the Sky snapped its two-game losing streak in an 83-73 win against the Los Angeles Sparks. Four Chicago players scored in double figures with Sky guard Marina Mabrey at the helm with 20 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and one steal. Sky center Elizabeth Williams pulled down a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double along with four blocks and four steals. Sky guards Dana Evans and Chennedy Carter tallied 15 and 14 points, respectively, and each had four assists. Sky rookie forward Angel Reese only scored six points, yet posted six rebounds, three assists and two steals. Reese currently leads all rookies in rebounds per game at 8.2 rebounds per game, while Clark sits two spots behind in third averaging 5.1 per game.
Saturday’s game marks the first regular season contest between the 2024 WNBA No. 1 and No. 7 draft picks – Clark and Reese. In their college stints, Clark and Reese faced off multiple times, most recently during the 2024 NCAA Tournament when Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes beat Reese’s LSU Tigers, 94-87 in the Elite Eight. The No. 3 overall pick in this year’s draft to Chicago, Kamilla Cardoso, played at the University of South Carolina with Fever frontcourt teammates Aliyah Boston and Victaria Saxton.