Latest news with #ConnecticutSun
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sun take on the Sparks on 3-game slide
Los Angeles Sparks (9-14, 3-10 Western Conference) at Connecticut Sun (3-19, 2-7 Eastern Conference) Uncasville, Connecticut; Thursday, 7 p.m. EDT BOTTOM LINE: Connecticut Sun looks to break its three-game slide when the Sun take on Los Angeles Sparks. The Sun are 2-8 on their home court. Connecticut ranks sixth in the Eastern Conference in rebounding with 31.0 rebounds. Olivia Nelson-Ododa paces the Sun with 6.0 boards. The Sparks are 6-6 on the road. Los Angeles ranks second in the WNBA scoring 38.8 points per game in the paint led by Dearica Hamby averaging 12.4. Connecticut's average of 5.9 made 3-pointers per game is 3.3 fewer made shots on average than the 9.2 per game Los Angeles allows. Los Angeles has shot at a 45.3% clip from the field this season, 1.1 percentage points fewer than the 46.4% shooting opponents of Connecticut have averaged. The teams square off for the second time this season. The Sparks won 92-88 in the last meeting on July 13. Kelsey Plum led the Sparks with 23 points, and Bria Hartley led the Sun with 25 points. TOP PERFORMERS: Tina Charles is averaging 15.6 points and 5.6 rebounds for the Sun. Hartley is averaging 10.7 points over the last 10 games. Plum is averaging 19.7 points, 5.8 assists and 1.5 steals for the Sparks. Hamby is averaging 18.4 points over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Sun: 1-9, averaging 74.0 points, 31.7 rebounds, 16.0 assists, 7.2 steals and 4.8 blocks per game while shooting 39.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 88.2 points per game. Sparks: 5-5, averaging 85.6 points, 31.0 rebounds, 21.8 assists, 7.0 steals and 3.4 blocks per game while shooting 47.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 86.7 points. INJURIES: Sun: Marina Mabrey: out (knee). Sparks: None listed. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Associated Press
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Sun take on the Sparks on 3-game slide
Los Angeles Sparks (9-14, 3-10 Western Conference) at Connecticut Sun (3-19, 2-7 Eastern Conference) Uncasville, Connecticut; Thursday, 7 p.m. EDT BOTTOM LINE: Connecticut Sun looks to break its three-game slide when the Sun take on Los Angeles Sparks. The Sun are 2-8 on their home court. Connecticut ranks sixth in the Eastern Conference in rebounding with 31.0 rebounds. Olivia Nelson-Ododa paces the Sun with 6.0 boards. The Sparks are 6-6 on the road. Los Angeles ranks second in the WNBA scoring 38.8 points per game in the paint led by Dearica Hamby averaging 12.4. Connecticut's average of 5.9 made 3-pointers per game is 3.3 fewer made shots on average than the 9.2 per game Los Angeles allows. Los Angeles has shot at a 45.3% clip from the field this season, 1.1 percentage points fewer than the 46.4% shooting opponents of Connecticut have averaged. The teams square off for the second time this season. The Sparks won 92-88 in the last meeting on July 13. Kelsey Plum led the Sparks with 23 points, and Bria Hartley led the Sun with 25 points. TOP PERFORMERS: Tina Charles is averaging 15.6 points and 5.6 rebounds for the Sun. Hartley is averaging 10.7 points over the last 10 games. Plum is averaging 19.7 points, 5.8 assists and 1.5 steals for the Sparks. Hamby is averaging 18.4 points over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Sun: 1-9, averaging 74.0 points, 31.7 rebounds, 16.0 assists, 7.2 steals and 4.8 blocks per game while shooting 39.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 88.2 points per game. Sparks: 5-5, averaging 85.6 points, 31.0 rebounds, 21.8 assists, 7.0 steals and 3.4 blocks per game while shooting 47.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 86.7 points. INJURIES: Sun: Marina Mabrey: out (knee). Sparks: None listed. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Indianapolis Star
a day ago
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Caitlin Clark may be out for a bit. How do Fever adjust without her? 'We're better when she's involved'
INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Fever may have to brace to be without star Caitlin Clark for a significant amount of time — again. Clark, who has had bad luck injury-wise this season, suffered her fourth separate muscle injury of the season July 15 against the Connecticut Sun. That injury forced her to pull out of the 3-point contest and the All-Star Game in Indianapolis this past weekend. Fever coach Stephanie White said following practice Monday that Clark is going to meet with doctors on Monday and Tuesday for additional opinions on her injury. Clark will make the trip to New York for Tuesday's game against the Liberty, but she is not anticipated to be available to play. The Fever have not set a timetable for her return, waiting to see the opinions of doctors in the next couple days. 'These soft tissue injuries sometimes nag until you can actually have time to really allow them to heal in the offseason,' White said Sunday. 'So we'll just take it one day at a time and as they come, and this group will continue to progress together.' Caitlin Clark's All-Star weekend: She was humble, funny and very serious about higher pay More: Caitlin Clark 'beyond thankful' for WNBA All-Star weekend, fans in Indy Clark has missed 11 of the Fever's 23 games with various injuries this season: she suffered a left quad strain on May 24 that kept her out for five games over a two-week period, then suffered a left groin injury on June 26 that kept her out another five games and two weeks. She has already missed one game with this most recent injury, as the Fever played in New York on July 16. It's been a frustrating season for Clark, who hadn't suffered any injuries in her collegiate or professional career before this season. "When the injury happened, it was pretty frustrating, considering, I knew what the coming days were gonna hold for myself," Clark said Saturday ahead of the All-Star Game. "But I feel like dealing with that, and then also just like trying to look at it in the most positive manner that I can. ... I think just it all comes back to having a good perspective on everything." The Fever (12-11) have, in spurts, figured out how to find a flow without her. Indiana is 8-6 with Clark on the floor, and 4-5 without her — 5-5 including a Commissioner's Cup win over the league-leading Minnesota Lynx, which isn't tallied in the regular-season standings. The game definitely flows differently without Clark on the floor. Clark likes to play fast, with frequent passes up the length of the floor for easy baskets ahead of the defense. She can find minuscule openings in defenses for assists, and she draws so much attention with the ball in her hands that she is frequently guarded at 94 feet and double-teamed. The attention defenses give Clark help to space the floor, and her ability to anticipate the defense and find those holes in the schemes can help the Fever move the ball. But right now, it's time for someone else to step up. 'We always want her to play. We're better when she's involved and on our roster,' Fever guard Sophie Cunningham said July 16. 'She draws so much attention. Her ability, you know, just to spread the court and pick teams apart is huge, but I do think it gives us confidence knowing that we can be successful without her too… it is important that if someone's missing, who can step up? And I think that we've shown that we can do that.' Aari McDonald, a midseason acquisition for the Fever, will likely take over Clark's starting spot while the star is injured. McDonald, standing at 5-6, does like to play in transition, but she isn't as fast or anticipatory as Clark. The Fever tend to move to more of a classic half-court offense when Clark is out of the game, and that is likely what they'll return to in her absence. It's something that can be successful, but it's also an offense that is more predictable. But Indiana has also shown it can get into a flow without Clark — evidenced by a three-game win streak that included a Commissioner's Cup win over the Lynx. The margin for error is less, but the Fever can still be successful without Clark. 'I think it changes our offense a little bit, where some teams are going to be a little more back, depending on matchups on the floor,' Fever forward Aliyah Boston said. 'I think we space the floor really well. Everything changes when we hit shots. "I think if we come out and start this next game, hit some shots to open up the floor a lot, and obviously Caitlin's a fantastic passer, but I think if we figure out, once again, different ways to get everyone that needs to touch the ball, the ball, and when and where. So we just continue to trust our offense and let it flow.' The Fever star has missed 13 games overall, including the Commissioner's Cup which doesn't count in the regular-season standings. Indiana is 8-6 with Clark on the floor, and 4-5 without her — 5-5 including a Commissioner's Cup win over the league-leading Minnesota Lynx, which isn't tallied in the regular-season standings. 8 p.m. ET Tuesday, July 22, 2025, at Barclays Center in New York. TV: ESPN, with Ryan Ruocco (play-by-play), Rebecca Lobo (analyst), Holly Rowe (sideline)
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Caitlin Clark injury update: Fever star to get more opinions, tests on groin
Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark will get another opinion for a right groin injury she's been dealing with, according to head coach Stephanie White. White shared the news with reporters on Sunday, July 20 as the team returned to practice following the WNBA All-Star Game, which was held in Indianapolis. Clark initially suffered the groin injury during the final moments of the game against the Connecticut Sun on July 15. She was voted as a team captain for the All-Star game, but was unable to play, stating, "I have to rest my body." White doesn't expect Caitlin Clark to be available to play against the New York Liberty for the Fever's next game on Tuesday, July 22. "She's going to see some doctors and get some more tests around early in the week," White told reporters. "I don't expect her to be available on Tuesday, so we're just going to continue to take it one day at a time and let her get her evaluations early this week and then once we've done that, hopefully we'll have a clear line of what it looks like." Clark did not practice on Sunday, along with the Fever's other All-Stars Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell. It's the fourth muscle-related injury for Clark this season. She's missed 11 of the Fever's 23 games this season, including the Commissioner's Cup victory over the first-place Minnesota Lyxn. Clark's other injuries from this season include her left groin, quad tightness and a quad strain.
Boston Globe
4 days ago
- Business
- Boston Globe
Burgeoning WNBA entering a delicate balance in negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement
Related : Advertisement They must craft the fine filigree an agreement that ensures the viability and sustainability of the burgeoning basketball league while also providing the players with the compensation and accommodations they desire and deserve. It's a needle we fans need them to thread. What makes sports collective bargaining agreements more complex than other industries is that the players are both the employees and the product. The WNBA is rising on the backs of A'ja Wilson, Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Sabrina Ionescu, Napheesa Collier, Paige Bueckers, etc. Owners often have a difficult time reconciling that reality. Advertisement 'There's an appetite for women's basketball everywhere, especially big cities like this,' said Indiana Fever guard Lexie Hull before her team faced the Connecticut Sun at TD Garden on Tuesday. Related : Market conditions are ideal for the WNBA. But there are real transformative issues that the players, who in recent years pushed for charter travel and better facilities, want addressed. The max salary for 2025 is approximately $249,000. Players can make substantially more than that via league and team marketing deals, the Commissioner's Cup, playoff bonuses, and individual award bonuses — a total of up to $750,000. But in anticipation of a new CBA, some highly-touted players who could've gone in the first round of the WNBA Draft such as Olivia Miles elected to return to school. Related : Why? The iconic Clark is in the second year of a four-year rookie deal with a total base salary of $338,056 — $84,514 per season. The counter from the WNBA would be that it's not fair to compare its salaries, in Year 29, to longer established men's professional sports leagues that rake in billions. Plus, the 2020 CBA was heralded as a significant step forward as salaries more than tripled. The WNBA also has extended beyond this CBA to introduce full charter travel at a cost of about $25 million per year and increased postseason bonuses significantly. Advertisement One issue that boasts the support of the coaches is expanding rosters. The maximum roster size is 12 players, but teams can carry 11. When injuries strike, this can send clubs scrambling. It also means that first-round picks and talented international players get cut in roster crunches. Fever coach and former Sun coach Stephanie White said it's time for the WNBA to grow rosters. 'I think plural, extra spots. Shoot, back in the old days, I think we had 15. We had 15 and two on IR,' said White, a former WNBA player. 'It's not just about having players every day in practice. It's about when injuries happen and you need somebody else that is going to be in the rotation that you have players that have been in practice every day that have continued to get experience. 'It's about building quality depth in our league, so that when we have expansion drafts we have players that are ready. It's about continuing to grow young players who might not be ready as soon as they come out of college. … I think it's time for us to grow in that area. I really do. … I think it's important.' That's an investment in the WNBA product that will pay dividends. The WNBA is not yet a profitable league. Still, the players see the league has a new $2.2 billion media rights deal kicking in next season. They see it will welcome in two expansion teams next season (Toronto and Portland) to bring the W up to 15 teams, with Advertisement They want their share of that pie. 'The business is booming — media rights, ratings, revenue, team valuations, expansion fees, attendance, and ticket sales — are all up in historic fashion. But short-changing the working women who make this business possible stalls growth,' said the WNBPA in a statement following Thursday's negotiations. 'There's an appetite for women's basketball everywhere, especially big cities like this,' said Indiana Fever guard Lexie Hull before her team faced the Connecticut Sun at TD Garden on Tuesday. Heather Diehl/For The Boston Globe Yet, many a business has faltered by presuming precipitous growth would continue unabated. The W doesn't want to be the pro sports version of Icarus, soaring too close to the sun on the wings and winds of popularity and then crashing as it overextends. 'We want to have a fair deal for all, but it has to be within the confines of a sustainable economic model that goes on for 10 years,' WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said. 'We've had a few years of great growth, but we need to continue to make sure that we can fund the things that the players are asking for, that we want for them, too.' Engelbert remains optimistic that the sides will reach a deal. She agrees with the union that this new CBA should be 'transformational.' The degree of transformation, gradual or dynamic, is the issue. The next steps are crucial for the WNBA. There's inherent conflict and a balancing act between forging ahead with brio to raise the bar for women's basketball and enshrining and ensuring the palpable progress made thus far this decade. 'It's incredible. It's what we always imagined it to be,' said White. Three letters, CBA, can't stop the WNBA from pushing forward. Advertisement Christopher L. Gasper is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at
