WNBA is back and to get things going on Day 2 of the season was the always highly anticipated Chicago Sky-Indiana Fever matchup.
The two teams faced off four times in 2024 as their then-rookies Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark became household names. To further this “media-generated” rivalry, the league has paired the two teams with five matchups this regular season.
They had four in 2023. Indiana went 3-1. Two games were decided by one point.
Fever handled the Sky with ease in their first matchup taking this game 93-58 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.
What’s New
It was a busy offseason for Chicago and Indiana as they both want to have playoff success as soon as possible.
Both teams are looking to take another step and are doing so with new head coaches and staffs. Sky gave Tyler Marsh his first head coaching job during the offseason to replace Teresa Weatherspoon. The 37-year-old has spent time in college, NBA D/G League, and the WNBA in player development and assistant coaching roles. His most recent role was an assistant coach under Las Vegas Aces’ Becky Hammon from 2022-2024. He’s won in the G League (2013), NBA (2019), and the WNBA (2022 and 2023).
Fever brought back in Danville (Illinois) native Stephanie White to lead. She played for the Indiana from 2000-2004 and was an assistant from 2011-2014. She won the championship in 2012 as an assistant and later became their head coach from 2015-2016.
Sky struggled to end the season and are hoping for a healthy season with a step toward hopefully returning to the playoffs. They brought back two-time WNBA champion Courtney Vandersloot for some much-needed veteran leadership while also adding Ariel Atkins and Kia Nurse. They also drafted college star Hailey Van Lith.
Fever have been building for a minute now with back-to-back top picks in Clark and Aliyah Boston as well as Kelsey Mitchell and others. They added the likes DeWanna Bonner, Natasha Howard, Sophie Cunningham, Sydney Colson, and Briana Turner in the offseason. Moves like this did not just make Indy playoff contenders but championship front runners.
These two franchises are in much different spots in their rebuilds. Similarities exist but the internet has yet to see that they are in different stages and have different goals and things they need to work on this season.
Take a step back from what Twitter/X has to say about them this season and just enjoy the hoops- I must do the same.
Season Opener
Cardoso scored the first basket and give the Sky a quick 2-0 lead Saturday afternoon. They would hold just two more two-point leads the rest of the game- all happening in the first quarter.
Fever held just a 22-17 lead at the end of the first quarter but by halftime stretched it to a 45-32 lead.
Indiana outscored Chicago 48-26 in the second half. The game would not end without a little bit of controversy. The two got tangled up but nothing serious- all in good competition. These two are hoopers- they understand how to fight hard and play on.
Clark had a game-high 20 points including four 3-pointers with 10 rebounds and 10 assists for her third career triple-double. This ties her with WNBA great Candace Parker for third place.
Boston finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds for a double-double. Also scoring in double figures for Indy were Howard and Mitchell who each had 15 points.
Reese had a team-high 12 points and 17 rebounds to lead Chicago. The only other Chicago player in double figures was Atkins with 11 points.
Sky’s shooting was a big factor in why they did not win on Saturday afternoon. They made just 23 field goals while shooting 29.1 percent from the field. They went 6-for-27 from beyond the arc and were much better from the free throw line making just half of the 12 attempts.
Fever shot 46.7 percent on 75 field goal attempts. They went just 7-for-21 from 3-point range and 16-for-25 from the free throw line.
Indy had 13 steals to Chicago’s five and they forced 19 turnovers in the win. Sky forced just 11 turnovers.
The key was Fever scored 24 points off turnovers while Chicago managed just eight.
Lastly, Fever dominated in the paint outscoring Sky 48-26.
Indiana is cooking early and want to start the season on a hot streak.
Chicago has some things they will be working on before their next game as they hope to avoid an early skid.
History
DeWanna Bonner scored just seven points in her debut with Indy but it was still a special afternoon as her team got the win and she made some history.
Bonner hit a free throw later in the fourth quarter to pass Tina Thompson for No. 3 on the all-time scoring list. She has 7,489 points and counting.
What’s Next
Chicago Sky (0-1) return home to Wintrust Arena to take on the defending WNBA champion New York Liberty (1-0) at 7 PM on Thursday, May 22.
Indiana Fever (1-0) remain at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse for a matchup against the Atlanta Dream (0-1) at 6 PM on Tuesday, May 20.
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