INDIANAPOLIS — The buildup was familiar: Sky vs. Fever, again. Fifth time this season. Playoffs two weeks away. Two of the league’s brightest stars and supposed rivals — Angel Reese on one side, Caitlin Clark on the other.
Instead, for the second straight meeting, neither star played. Clark was ruled out for the season after just 13 games, her sophomore season cut short by injuries. Reese sat with a one-game suspension after piling up eight technical fouls.
Without them, the Fever rolled 97-77.
Turnovers again tilted the outcome. The Sky threw the ball away 23 times, fueling the Fever’s high-paced offense. All-Star guard Kelsey Mitchell led the way with 20 points, while four other Fever players reached double figures.
“She’s the toughest cover of the league,” coach Tyler Marsh said of Mitchell after the game.
The bright spot for the Sky was once again sophomore center Kamilla Cardoso. She finished with 18 points, six rebounds and five assists — though she also had five turnovers.
“Kamilla was solid for most of [the game],” Marsh said. “I think she’d tell you she turned it over a little bit too much.”
Veteran center Elizabeth Williams also added 13 points on 4-for-5 shooting for the Sky, and rookie Maddy Westbeld earned her first start of the season. Marsh has been wanting to get Westbeld more minutes, and with Reese out, it was the perfect opportunity.
Overall, the season hasn’t gone according to plan for either team. Clark declared in training camp it was “championship or bust,” but the Fever are instead scrambling for one of the final playoff spots. The Fever have five players sidelined with season-ending injuries, three of them point guards.
The Sky have also been weighed down by injuries and were eliminated from the playoffs weeks ago. They’re now playing for pride and development.
Even despite the lowered stakes, the matchup still drew a decent crowd — one certainly big enough for a rousing fourth-quarter rendition of “Mr. Brightside.” But the arena was far from the sellout atmosphere of their first meeting in May — one of the most-watched WNBA games ever.
Sky-Fever viewership trends
National interest in the matchup has cooled as Clark and Reese have missed games. Their first matchup drew 2.7 million viewers, a top-10 mark in league history. Each subsequent game fell off: 1.9 million in June, 1.5 in July and 1.3 in August.
But taken together, the series still carries weight. This year’s Sky-Fever games have averaged 1.85 million viewers, just shy of last year’s 1.9 million. Even with only one meeting featuring both stars, they remain the league’s most-watched matchups this season.
Waiting on Van Lith
The Sky are still “holding out hope” rookie point guard Hailey Van Lith will return before the season ends. She has missed the last several games with an ankle injury. Marsh said she continues to rehab and the team doesn’t want to rush her back. A decision is expected soon.