Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The Atlanta Dream travel to Indiana for their second matchup against the Fever this season, with both teams in strong playoff positions.
- All eyes will be on the starting lineup that has led Indiana to a four-game winning streak, despite Caitlin Clark appearing on the injury report.
- The game marks the first of two back-to-back meetings between these top-half teams, with defensive intensity expected to define the battle.
The Atlanta Dream have traveled to Indiana for their second matchup against the Fever this season. The two last faced off on June 4 when the WNBA landscape was a little different. The Fever were on a two-game losing streak, while the Dream had won two straight. Indiana, thanks to great performances by Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark, handed Atlanta an 83-71 loss.
Both teams are currently sitting in the top half of the league standings. The 9-5 Fever are on a four-game winning streak, only losing once since beating Atlanta. The Dream sits at 9-4, winning three of their last four since their first Fever matchup. This is also a rekindling of the intense personal rivalry between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.
Tonight will surely be another battle. Both teams will be looking for their stars to step up. Luckily, the injury reports are fairly clean. For Atlanta, Aaliyah Nye and Brionna Jones are both out. Nye, sitting out due to a knee injury, is only averaging 1.5 minutes per game. Jones hasn't made her debut yet this season as she's still recovering from right knee surgery. Caitlin Clark is the only player listed on Indiana's report. She is listed as probable.
Caitlin Clark is probable for Fever vs. Dream tonight
If you've been paying attention to the Fever's injury reports, you've probably noticed that Clark has been listed as probable for every game over the last month. Despite being listed, she's played every night. This began after Indiana's matchup against the Portland Fire on May 20. Clark was a last-minute scratch from the game, listed as unavailable only around 100 minutes before tip-off. ESPN's Alexa Philippou reported, "Fever coach Stephanie White said before the Fire game that Clark woke up Wednesday with stiffness and soreness in her back and that she did not practice Tuesday, instead getting treatment and going through workouts after practice."
The WNBA issued the Fever a warning due to Clark not practicing the day before, yet being left off the injury report until the last minute. Per Chloe Peterson, White informed the media that Clark will likely be listed as probable for the remainder of the season. She stated, "Just to make sure that there’s clarity and no issues with league policy, I think that we will. I think you canexpect to see it probable going forward.”
So while we might be seeing Clark as 'probable' for the forseeable future, we'll likely continue seeing her in the starting lineup. Tonight should be no different.
Projected Fever starting lineup with Caitlin Clark vs. Dream
STARTER | POSITION | BENCH |
|---|---|---|
Caitlin Clark | PG | Raven Johnson |
Kelsey Mitchell | SG | Tyasha Harris |
Lexie Hull | SG/SF | Sophie Cunningham |
Monique Billings | PF | Myisha Hines-Allen |
Aliyah Boston | C | Damiris Dantas |
This lineup has started the last nine games for the Fever and holds a 6-3 record. Indiana relies heavily on their top three scorers, Mitchell, Boston and Clark. In their first matchup against Atlanta, all three scored 15+ points, while no other players hit the 10-point mark. Tonight, we can expect these three to get started early, setting the pace and energy.
The Dream, on the other hand, had four players score 10+ points against the Fever in early June — but tonight, they'll be looking for more production from their stars. Rhyne Howard averages 18.9 points per game, but only put up 8 points against Indiana. Allisha Gray averages 19.6 points per game; she finished the first matchup with 13 points.
The Fever are second in the league, averaging 91.6 points per game. Atlanta will be looking for a much better offensive night to keep up with the Fever stars, but its defense has a chance to turn things around in this second matchup. The Dream have one of the better defenses across the league; expect them to lean into this. They are third in the league, allowing only 80.7 points per game. Atlanta also leads the league in steals per game, averaging 9.4. They're second in the league in rebounds per game and have one of the league's best rebounders in Angel Reese, yet they did not win the second-chance battle in the first matchup. I can imagine this was a topic of conversation.
Conveniently enough, both Atlanta and Indiana are coming off big wins over the Toronto Tempo. For Indiana, bench player Sophie Cunningham had a great night. It'd be beneficial if she could keep that energy going tonight. For Atlanta, Howard and Gray both had 20+ point performances, which might be necessary again if they want to even the season series against the Fever.
Tonight is the first of two back-to-back matchups between these two squads. Atlanta and Indiana will face off again this Saturday, June 20.
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