Bonner has improved in Clark's absence
The Indiana Fever dismantled the Chicago Sky at the United Center despite missing Clark and head coach Stephanie White Getty Images
Even with Fever star Caitlin Clark sidelined, Indiana rolled past Angel Reese and the Sky, 79-52, in a WNBA Commissioner's Cup matchup at Chicago's United Center.
Four Fever players scored in double digits, led by Kelsey Mitchell with 17. Meanwhile, Aari McDonald continued her impressive showing on a hardship contract with 12 points off the bench. The Fever were also missing Sophie Cunningham (ankle) while Stephanie White was away from the team due to personal reasons with assistant Austin Kelly acting as head coach.
Sky starting point guard Courtney Vandersloot exited in the first quarter with a non-contact knee injury and had to be carried off the court as Indiana built a double-digit lead early.
The Fever improved to 4-4 on the season with half of their wins coming in blowout fashion against Chicago. The Sky fell to 2-5. Connections: Sports Edition Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Getty Images
DeWanna Bonner averaged just 2.5 points in her first four games this season alongside Caitlin Clark. But since Clark went down with a quad injury, Bonner is averaging 12.3 points across her last four games (including her six points tonight). Of course, Clark's absence has opened up more scoring opportunities for other players, but the swing in Bonner's production can't be this significant if the Fever hope to win big this season. They must figure out a way for Bonner to remain effective when Clark returns to the lineup.
Q4 4:21 - Fever 71, Sky 45
Fever acting head coach Austin Kelly has removed several starters as we've fully entered garbage time in this one. That means Kelsey Mitchell will finish with 17 points, five rebounds and two assists while Lexie Hull finishes with nine points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Hull was 2-for-2 from 3-point range, another strong sign of her growth from beyond the arc with sharpshooter Sophie Cunningham still sidelined along with Caitlin Clark. Mitchell, playing through a broken finger in her shooting hand, was 1-for-6 from deep but found success slashing to the rim and drawing contact.
CHICAGO — There's little drama left here inside the United Center, but as the Fever close in on a 30-point lead, the crowd has remained full. There's really two looming questions left.
Will Indiana defeat Chicago by a larger margin than it did on May 17 (35)? And what will CBS' TV rating be?
We won't know the answer to the latter question for a few days, but Saturday night was the first regular season WNBA game airing in primetime on broadcast TV. Associated Press
Q4 10:00 - Fever 68, Sky 39
It's a 29-point Indiana lead with still a quarter to play in this one!
Three Fever starters have already scored in double figures, led by Kelsey Mitchell with 17 points.
Aari McDonald's days are numbered with the Fever, as she'll inevitably be released whenever Caitlin Clark (quad) or Sophie Cunningham (ankle) returns from injury. However, McDonald has played well enough through two games to perhaps garner looks from other franchises. After her season debut Tuesday, McDonald said she was in "survival mode," and the 2021 No. 3 pick is proving she's still a valuable player. Imagn Images
Q3 1:31 - Fever 63, Sky 36
We've entered full-on blowout territory at the United Center.
No Caitlin Clark, no problem for a Fever team that is up to 17 assists and 8-for-19 from 3-point range following back-to-back triples from DeWanna Bonner and Kelsey Mitchell.
It is worth noting again that the Sky offense was already struggling even before losing starting point guard Courtney Vandersloot, and those struggles have only compounded since her knee injury in the first quarter. Imagn Images
Q3 3:50 - Fever 57, Sky 35
Really nice finish through contact for Aari McDonald, who continues to thrive after joining the Fever on a hardship contract. She's up to nine points in this one!
Fun (or maybe not so fun) fact: Fever star Kelsey Mitchell is playing through a fractured middle finger on her shooting hand. The lefty sustained the injury while playing in China during the WNBA offseason, but you certainly can't tell tonight. She's up to a game-high 12 points.
Q3 4:49 - Fever 54, Sky 34
Hailey Van Lith has to step up with Courtney Vandersloot out, and she's up to five points in the third quarter after a tough and-1 against the Fever's Sydney Colson!
But Natasha Howard answers with a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer to beat the shot clock on the other end! The Fever have a 19-point lead and counting...
CHICAGO — Kelsey Mitchell has done a good job of getting downhill tonight. Her latest layup brings her scoring total up to 12 points and has stretched Indiana's lead to 17 points, its largest advantage of the night so far. Indy leads 49-32 with 6:25 to play in the third as the Sky's offense has really struggled to generate offense tonight. Imagn Images
Q3 6:25 - Fever 49, Sky 32
A big defensive breakdown for Chicago and Kelsey Mitchell drives right to the hoop to cap off a 8-2 Indiana run! Tyler Marsh calls timeout as the Fever have a 17-point lead, their biggest of the game. Imagn Images
The Sky's offense has really struggled since Courtney Vandersloot left the game in the first quarter with knee injury. However, Chicago coach Tyler Marsh is imploring his team to compartmentalize her absence and play with poise.
"We can't be feeling sorry for ourselves right now," Marsh said in his CBS halftime interview. "She'd want us to go out there and compete and play for her. And that's what we gotta do." Getty Images
Q3 10:00 - Fever 41, Sky 28
We're back for more action from the WNBA's United Center debut!
Can the Fever close out another win over the Sky or will Chicago rally to protect home court? Getty Images
Given how much we've heard about Dawn Staley's epic halftime speeches at South Carolina, it reallllllly feels like CBS should've leaned into that with her as an analyst on today's show and had "Dawn's Halftime Talk." I would've loved hearing her take on what it would be like to give a 90-second halftime talk to Chicago to light a fire under the team as the Sky enters this second half and tries to mount a comeback. Go over the top and have her stand up like she was in front of the team, give her a clipboard or a whiteboard or whatever prop she wants and let's hear her deliver one of those messages that both settles her team and ignites the group before the final 20. Getty Images
Indiana finished the first half with 11 assists on 14 made baskets. The Fever had seven players record at least one assist, led by Aliyah Boston's three dimes. Indiana's ball movement has helped it build a 13-point lead heading into the break. Getty Images
Last week on "No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Podcast", one of the topics of discussion was "new faces in new places," or players who've landed on new teams this season through free agency or trades (and have either settled in really easily or are still trying to find their footing). There are certainly quite a few players in this game that fit that bill — Chicago's Ariel Atkins spent the first seven years of her WNBA career before she was traded to Chicago for the No. 3 pick in the 2025 draft last February; Chicago's Bec Allen spent most of her career in New York (2015-22) but then bopped from Connecticut (2023) to Phoenix (2024) before she was traded to the Sky; Chicago's Kia Nurse is with her fifth team in as many seasons after spending her first three seasons with the Liberty.
Suffice it to say: This Chicago team has undergone a lot of transition (including at HC) over the last year and with so many new players in Sky Town this season, it was always going to take a bit of time for this team to gel.
GO FURTHER
Watch: Candace Parker on coaching, commentating and coming out
Lexie Hull's 3-point shooting has been a major improvement in her game this season. She's knocking down 3s at a 56 percent clip, nearly 10 percent better than last season. That improvement (and how it has forced defenses to respect her outside game a lot more) accounts for part of her jump in scoring this season, going from averaging 5.5 PPG last season to 10.7 PPG this season. That left baseline three was her first 3 of the game and the Fever's fourth of the game. Getty Images
CHICAGO — The energy inside the United Center certainly dampened as Courtney Vandersloot was carried off the floor in the first quarter after suffering a knee injury. (Vandersloot was later ruled out for the game.)
Chicago's offense has struggled in her absence, as it is shooting only 36.7 percent from the field. The Sky have only six assists, and have made only 11 shots in all, as they trail 41-28 at halftime.
Indiana's bigs have been the better pair of frontcourt players so far, as Boston and Howard have combined to score 14 points on six-of-nine shooting. Getty Images
HT - Fever 41, Sky 28
Indiana closes the second quarter on a 13-7 run to take a 13-point lead into halftime. Some crisp passing and added aggression in the frontcourt keyed that Fever surge. Kelsey Mitchell leads all scorers with nine points, followed by Natasha Howard with eight and Lexie Hull with seven. Aliyah Boston has six points, two rebounds and a game-high three assists.
Rebecca Allen leads the Sky with seven points.
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