After suffering back-to-back losses to WNBA playoff contenders last week, the Fever look to turn that luck around. Indiana's recent five-game winning streak was snapped with a 108-100 loss to the Minnesota Lynx on August 2. They then faced the Las Vegas Aces on August 6, resulting in another loss.
However, this week has started on a promising foot for Indy. On Tuesday, the Fever handed the New York Liberty a 106-92 loss. Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark combined for 50 points, while Aliyah Boston and Makayla Timpson had 7 rebounds each.
The Fever look to keep things going tonight against the Dallas Wings, a team that beat them earlier this season. However, the Indiana injury report lists both Clark and Boston as probable.
Caitlin Clark is probable for Fever vs. Wings tonight
Have we heard these words before? Well, yes — in fact, we've heard them before each of the last 23 games. On May 20, before the Fever faced the Portland Fire, Clark was a late scratch. She was listed as unavailable around 100 minutes before tip-off. The WNBA was not too fond of this, especially after learning Clark was initially left off the injury report despite missing practice the day before.
The league gave the Fever a warning, resulting in Head Coach Stephane White telling the media that from then on out, Clark would be listed as 'probable' to ensure clarity and to avoid any further issues. Sure enough, they've held firm. So, despite the listing, you can expect Clark to be in the starting lineup.
We can also likely expect to see Aliyah Boston hit the court tonight. This would leave the Fever entirely healthy. Dallas, on the other hand, isn't so lucky. Azzi Fudd, Jessica Shepard and Aziaha James, three of the Wings' top six leading scorers, are all unavailable for tonight's matchup in Indy.
Here's how both lineups could look tonight.
Projected Fever starting lineup with Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston vs. Wings
STARTER | POSITION | BENCH |
|---|---|---|
Caitlin Clark | G | Raven Johnson |
Kelsey Mitchell | G | Tyasha Harris |
Lexie Hull | G | Sophie Cunningham |
Makayla Timpson | F/C | Monique Billings |
Aliyah Boston | F/C | Myisha Hines-Allen |
Projected Wings starting lineup without Fudd, Shepard and James vs. Fever
STARTER | POSITION | BENCH |
|---|---|---|
Paige Bueckers | G | Sug Sutton |
Odyssey Sims | G | Haley Jones |
Arike Ogunbowale | G | F Alysha Clark |
Awak Kuier | F | Maddy Siegrist |
Alanna Smith | F/C | Li Yueru |
I expect the Fever to go with the same starting lineup that just defeated the Liberty. This is also the same lineup Dallas went with when they defeated Toronto on Wednesday night. It's easy to say the Wings might have a harder night tonight.
These squads last faced off during the season opener on May 9. Dallas walked away with a 107-104 victory. Ogunbowale and Bueckers combined for 42 points, Sims put up 20 points and James recorded 10 points off the bench. The weight will fall entirely on the shoulders of Ogunbowale, Bueckers and Sims tonight. Sims has had some promising performances in Fudd's recent absence. It could be crucial that she have another one tonight.
The Wings will also need to make up for their missing piece in the frontcourt. Shepard averages 14.2 points, 11.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game. There will be a lot expected from Kuier and Smith tonight. It has taken some time for Smith to get going this season, but she's heating up at the right time, averaging 14.0 points and 12.8 rebounds over the last four games. Kuier is coming off a massive game against Toronto, where she recorded 14 points and 4 rebounds. These two will have their hands full with Boston and Timpson tonight. Boston recorded 23 points to Timpson's 11 in the first matchup.
If the Fever can specifically contain Bueckers and Ogunbowale, they should fare well. Expect Clark and Mitchell to do their thing — the duo combined for 50 points in the first matchup. The Wings will be without Fudd's defensive presence, which has improved a lot since the last time these squads faced off.
Dallas has fallen pretty far in the standings over the last couple of weeks, as they've lost six of their last nine matchups. The Wings know how important tonight is, especially when it comes to playoff implications. It'll be tough, but expect them to fight until the buzzer.
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