How to watch Sun at Fever: Caitlin Clark tries to lead Indiana to WNBA Commissioner's Cup
Some folks make a quiet return to the party, shuffling their feet with discretion. Caitlin Clark, meanwhile, kicks down the door and blows out the subwoofer.
Clark was a supernova in her return from injury Saturday. She finished with a 32/8/9 line as her Indiana Fever dominated the previously undefeated New York Liberty. Indy is now 3-1 in Commissioner's Cup action, tied with the Atlanta Dream and New York Liberty atop the East standings. The Fever close out against the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday night, with a chance to represent the conference in the in-season tournament final on July 1.
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The Fever made a franchise-record 17 3-pointers on Saturday, and did so against the league's top-ranked defense. Indiana focused on spacing the floor as Clark reacclimated to the court. It played small and stretched with Sophie Cunningham and Lexie Hull on the perimeter, while veteran Natasha Howard logged a season-low 14 minutes. With the zippier personnel, Clark had space to smoke defenders off the dribble and launch treys to her heart's content.
While Indiana enters Tuesday's tilt at 5-5, Basketball Reference has the Fever with an expected record of 7-3. Clark's return ripples across the entire sport, but she also lessens the burden on Kelsey Mitchell, the All-Star guard who has tumbled to career-low shooting splits. Mitchell's brilliance can be punctuated by cold spurts — she went 4-of-7 behind the arc in a June 3 win over the Washington Mystics, then missed 10 of her next 11 3s against the Chicago Sky and Atlanta.
This offense ranks fourth in field goal percentage and excels in high-tempo, shoot-at-will pacing. That's a particularly tough draw for the 2-8 Sun, who arrive in Indianapolis with the W's lowest-ranked defense. Connecticut is last in net rating at minus-22. For context, Chicago is next at minus-14.6, and 1-11 Dallas is at -8.6. However, the Sun have two veteran bucket-getters in Marina Mabrey and Tina Charles, but this is a largely toothless team with nearly no outside presence.
Even if they handle business at home, Stephanie White and the Fever will have to do some scoreboard watching. Ascendant Atlanta wins the Eastern Conference's tournament spot if it knocks off the defending champion Liberty in Brooklyn, though that would constitute one of the biggest upsets of the 2025 WNBA campaign.
Best player to wear both jerseys: Katie Douglas. The four-time All-WNBA lefty won a championship with Indiana in 2012, and she earned three straight First-Team All-Defense honors in Connecticut.
Streaming, betting and ticketing links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
(Photo of Caitlin Clark: Andy Lyons / Getty Images)
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