Fever balance scoring, rout Sky 79-52 without Caitlin Clark, coach Stephanie White

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CHICAGO — Austin Kelly first met Stephanie White over a decade ago, when Kelly's future wife, Karima Christmas-Kelly, began playing for the Indiana Fever in 2012. Kelly would hang around the team and sometimes sit in on Fever practices. Occasionally, he would even take part in them as a practice player.
A lot has changed with the Fever since. And yet, for all that's different around the franchise — especially in the last two seasons as Indiana has evolved into the WNBA's most popular team — plenty has stayed the same.
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On Saturday night against the Chicago Sky, Kelly, an Indiana assistant coach, slid into the lead chair, serving as the Fever's acting head coach with White absent due to personal reasons. Christmas-Kelly, a fellow assistant on the Fever, was a few seats down on the bench. So too was another key member of Indiana's 2012 title-winning roster, Briann January, who, like Kelly, is also in her first season as a Fever assistant.
'We all got history,' Kelly said.
Even without White, the trio has helped the Fever climb back to .500, as Indiana defeated Chicago, 79-52, in the first WNBA game played at the United Center with a Sky-record 19,496 in attendance. White was not Indiana's only notable absence, however. The Fever are now 2-2 in games without star guard Caitlin Clark, who could return as soon as Tuesday as she continues rehabbing her left quad strain.
Despite the absences of Clark and White, Indiana's offense was efficient as the ball pinballed from player to player with the Fever recording 14 assists on its first 20 made field goals. They finished with 19 assists on 27 baskets, shooting 45.8 percent from the field and 40.7 percent from 3-point range.
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Four players finished in double figures for Indiana as its balanced cast of role players stepped up in the absence of its coach and star guard. Kelsey Mitchell led the Fever with 17 points, Natasha Howard scored 13 and grabbed five rebounds, while Aari McDonald and Aliyah Boston scored 12 and 11 points, respectively.
'It's special,' Kelly said after the win. 'It's something I'll never forget. They did a hell of a job for 40 minutes of executing the game plan. And I thought when we had lulls, the communication out there was really good, they picked each other up when it was needed.'
Chicago's production paled in comparison. The Sky had only six assists on 11 made field goals at halftime, as they trailed 41-28 at the break. Indiana's lead grew to 17 midway through the third quarter as Mitchell darted to the rim for another layup and two of her team-high 17 points. It ballooned to 29 after three quarters, and 30 early in the fourth quarter before Chicago chipped away.
Saturday night was supposed to be a celebration inside United Center, as the Sky were playing in the home of the NBA's Chicago Bulls for the first time in franchise history in front of what was expected to be a Sky record crowd.
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But the tenor of the night, and perhaps Chicago's season, changed abruptly as veteran Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot suffered a knee injury at the 5:29 minute mark of the first quarter on a drive to the basket. Vandersloot, the franchise's all-time leading scorer who returned to Chicago this past offseason after two seasons with the New York Liberty, was carried off the floor, unable to put any weight on her right leg and did not return. The Sky's offense appeared to not recover either.
Kelly and White have worked together for a few seasons, first from 2019-2021, when Kelly was White's director of recruiting when she was the head coach at Vanderbilt. He was later on White's coaching staff during White's two seasons with the Connecticut Sun.
'We're prepared for this moment. I've worked for Steph a handful of years, and she wants to prepare all of her assistants to be head coaches,' Kelly said. 'And so she puts a lot on our plate, and she allows us to grow and be our own head coach in our areas.'
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Kelly plays a critical role in Indiana's offensive success. Heading into Saturday's matchup, Indiana was No. 4 in offensive rating, even with its star guard missing the last four games. He has learned plenty from White and former Fever coach/general manager Lin Dunn.
'Keep it simple,' he said. 'Keeping it simple so your players are on the same page,'
Everyone was aligned for the Fever on Saturday night. And now, as Indiana prepares for the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday, with Clark and White's statuses both uncertain, the task will remain the same.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Chicago Sky, Indiana Fever, WNBA
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