Fever’s Clark says Aces star ‘incredible,’ but might not face her
Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark had high praise for Aces star forward A’ja Wilson after Tuesday’s practice.
“She’s pretty incredible,” Clark told reporters when asked about Wilson. “I mean, you watch her and she’s unguardable and there’s nothing anybody can do to stop it. She’s just that dominant. … You basically just live with what she’s going to do to you every single night. It’s just you try to contain it as best you can.”
Those compliments for the two-time WNBA MVP and this year’s favorite for the award come from experience. Wilson led the Aces with a combined 57 points, 24 rebounds and six blocks as the team beat the Fever 99-80 on May 25 at Michelob Ultra Arena and 88-69 on July 2 at T-Mobile Arena before the WNBA’s largest audience since 1999.
But as the Fever (19-17) prepare to host the Aces (22-13) for two games Wednesday and Friday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, a few things are different.
The Fever are 8-2 since the Olympic break, the second best-record in the league in that time — and it would be understandable if Wilson didn’t play Wednesday.
The Aces played without Wilson for the first time since 2019 in a 75-71 loss to the New York Liberty on Sunday.
On Tuesday, the Aces didn’t list Wilson on the injury report for Wednesday’s game. That doesn’t mean she’s guaranteed to play, however. The Aces also left Wilson off Saturday’s injury report before facing the Liberty and then ruled her out an hour before game time.
The Aces haven’t been as hot as the Fever since the break, going 6-5. But they’ve won four of their past five games and secured the franchise’s sixth straight playoff berth.
If the Fever end up having to tackle what Clark described as a “tall task” of guarding Wilson that will require multiple people, they’re not likely to stop history in the making.
The Aces superstar is just 10 points away from matching Jewell Loyd’s 2023 record of 939 points in a WNBA season. At Wilson’s WNBA-leading scoring clip of 27.3 points per game, the league’s first 1,000-point campaign is also on the table.
Fever running hot
The Fever are also making history for their franchise, and their top two players have close ties to the Aces.
Clark and Aliyah Boston starred in the Fever’s most recent game, a 104-100 overtime win over the Atlanta Dream on Sunday. Clark is close friends with Aces rookie Kate Martin, as they played at Iowa together, and Boston has described Wilson as “like a real sister.”
Boston and Wilson played for coach Dawn Staley at South Carolina and won NCAA titles under her tutelage (Boston in 2022, Wilson in 2017).
Boston recorded a career-high 30 points with 13 rebounds and five assists against the Dream, giving the Fever their first performance with at least 30 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in franchise history.
Clark, meanwhile, added 26 points, 12 assists and five rebounds for the Fever as she became the first WNBA rookie to play every minute of an overtime game since Aces general manager Natalie Williams when she played for Utah in 1999.
The Fever are also bolstered by guard Kelsey Mitchell, who is averaging 24.9 points over the team’s last 10 games.
With their group of lottery picks, the Fever have already clinched their first playoff berth since 2016. The Fever’s seven seasons without a playoff appearance were tied for the longest drought in WNBA history.
Contact Callie Lawson-Freeman at clawsonfreeman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.