Fans of the budding Fever-Sky WNBA rivalry didn’t have to wait long for their next rematch. Just a week after the Fever posted an impressive 91-83 victory over the Sky, the two teams meet again Sunday afternoon, this time in Chicago.
In last week’s game, Caitlin Clark scored 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor, adding eight rebounds and nine assists. She was also involved in one of the most talked about moments of the game, when Angel Reese committed a flagrant foul after hitting Clark in the head as he drove to the basket. Reese said after the game that it was a “basketball game,” and Clark agreed with that sentiment.
The Fever and Sky rookies have made a big impact so far this WNBA season, as both were in the top 10 in the first fan vote for the WNBA All-Star Game (Clark was second, Reese seventh). On Wednesday, Reese broke a WNBA record by posting a double-double for the seventh straight game in a win over the Wings.
How to watch Fever vs Sky
Date: Sunday June 23
Time: 4 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN
Follow Yahoo Sports for all the live updates, highlights and more from Sunday’s match between Fever and Sky.
Live16 updates
Indiana Fever 46, Chicago Sky 45 at halftime
Kelsey Mitchell still leads the Fever in points with 10, while Caitlin Clark has eight points and seven assists in the first half.
Chennedy Carter had 15 points for the Sky and Angel Reese had eight points and eight rebounds. Reese and Clark are certainly on track for a double-double tonight (with Reese’s on rebounds and Clark’s on assists).
Another double-double from Reese will extend his streak. On Thursday, Reese became the only rookie with seven consecutive double-doubles; another today would make it eight.
After missing eight straight shots, Indiana got just hot enough to regain the lead, but the Sky came in close behind. It was an incredibly close match, with seven draws and eight lead changes so far – and probably more to come.
Fever 46, Sky 45 at halftime
Kamilla Cardoso with a big layup to give Chicago the lead again after a scoreless minute from both teams.
Chicago’s Lindsay Allen scores a wild layup off a great assist from Marina Mabrey to tie it again, 39-39. There are now about four minutes left in the quarter.
Boston finally starts to score some points, with three consecutive buckets thanks to Clark’s assists. The rookie-sophomore duo grew stronger throughout the season, with the two connecting more frequently and more creatively.
NaLyssa Smith gets a nasty layup on a pump fake that sends Diamond DeShields to the floor – on a hook shot assist from Clark, no less.
Diamond DeShields has been able to shut down Caitlin Clark since she came off the bench. DeShields blocked Clark in the first quarter and kept her from shooting until now in the second quarter.
The game has been fast-paced so far, with six lead changes in the first quarter alone. The Fever had better luck away from home than the Sky, but Chicago led 28-26 at the quarter break behind Chennedy Carter’s 11 points. Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell leads Indiana with 10 points.
Kamilla Cardoso now also sits on two fouls, after blocking her former South Carolina teammate Aliyah Boston. Boston missed both free throws and is still useless so far.
Chicago’s Marina Mabrey is already sitting on two fouls, midway through the first quarter. Mabrey is averaging 15.1 points per game this season and would be a huge loss for Sky if she finds herself in a foul situation early.
Here we go ! Clark gets things off to a quick start, putting Indiana first on the scoreboard with a huge three-pointer.
You start like that, Caitlin?! 😳
Caitlin Clark NAILS the stepback triple for the first bucket of the game
Starting five for Chicago Sky: Chennedy Carter, Lindsay Allen, Marina Mabrey, Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso.
The Fever starting five: Caitlin Clark, Kristy Wallace, Kelsey Mitchell, NaLyssa Smith and Aliyah Boston.
Tickets for today’s game at Chicago’s Wintrust Arena are breaking WNBA records, with prices averaging up to $300. Rivalry or not, this is certainly a highly anticipated clash.
Indiana Fever vs. Chicago Sky on Sunday is on track to have the highest average WNBA ticket price ever since 2015 👏
Caitlin Clark played coy about whether Indiana Fever-Chicago Sky was becoming a rivalry, and the question was asked again during a warm-up interview on ESPN.
“You’re asking tough questions…while I’m warming up,” Clark said with a smile.
She admitted that this could be the start of a project, but added that it was not the main priority. “Hopefully our teams can perform at their best is our priority right now,” she said.
For today’s game, Angel Reese is wearing custom Reeboks in honor of Juneteenth.
Before the game, Reese said on ESPN that representation is important and shouted out other Black women in the league. “Being able to represent this (Juneteenth) today, it’s going to be super important,” she said.
