The Guru’s WNBA RoundUp: Clark Exits Indiana Game Late in Pain as Fever Beat Connecticut Before a Sellout in Celtics’ Arena in Boston; Los Angeles Routs Washington

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

On Tuesday’s two-game card in the WNBA, Indiana topped last-place Connecticut 85-77 before a TD Garden sellout crowd of 19,156 in the Boston home of the NBA Celtics enabling the Fever (12-10) to move out of a tie with Washington (11-11) into sixth after the Mystics lost later 99-80 at Los Angeles (8-14) in front of a Crypto.com crowd of 10,787.

“It was an amazing experience,” Connecticut’s Tina Charles said afterwards of the crowd. “It was a success, even though we didn’t get a win.”

Said Indiana’s Sophie Cunningham, “I thought it was a lot of fun, to be honest. There’s so much history in this building. I’ve got some heat from saying stuff about cities, but I like Boston, man. I really like Boston. Y’all need to get a team here.”

But all was not joy for the visitors with Caitlin Clark recently returned from a groin injury seen heading to the bench in the final minute, the Associated Press reporting the reigning WNBA rookie of the year crying and clutching her right leg.

The Iowa all-time great and NCAA career scoring leader, who has drawn record attendance and TV viewing numbers to the WNBA since entering the league last year as the overall No. 1 pick, missed five games earlier in the season with a quad injury and then missed five more, including the Commissioner’s Cup championship won at Minnesota.

If Clark is back on the sidelines, her latest departure comes with Indiana completing a back-to-back heading to defending champion New York (14-6) Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. on CBSSN in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center.

The host Liberty and Fever have played two earlier games back in Indianapolis, splitting the outcomes, and Clark, as the top overall vote collector from a combination of fans, media, and league players, is due to be one of the captains at this weekend’s All-Star game at her Gainbridge Fieldhouse at 8:30 p.m.Saturday night on ABC/Disney+/ESPN+.

ESPN reported that at the postgame presser, coach Stephanie White said Clark “felt a little something in her groin” and added she would be evaluated “and see what happens from there.”

Clark before this season, had not missed a game since high school.

White said that the staff must help Clark deal with the physicality she’s been facing.

“The level of physicality overall in our league has been at a different level than it’s been for a long time.”

Earlier Tuesday, Clark was announced as one of the participants in the 3-point shooting contest Friday night at 8 p.m. on ESPN along with Washington rookie Sonia Citron out of Notre Dame, defending champion Allisha Gray of Atlanta, Los Angeles’ Kelsey Plum, and New York’s Sabrina Ionescu, the single round record holder for both the WNBA and NBA competitions collecting 37 in the final round of the 2023 event.

“I think we just take it one step at a time,” White said of the things on Clark’s and the whole team’s plate this week. “We’ll get some food and get on the plane and start talking about New York. She’s being evaluated; we’ll see where we are with that.

“And certainly, we’ll have another evaluation, and conversation in the morning, see where we are. But this group has played without her. At least we’ve got experience in that,” White said.

“We know that we have a tough opponent in New York. We know that it’s going to be a challenge, no matter what, and we’ve just got to get locked in and ready to compete.”  

Competing in the Skills competition Friday are Saint Joseph’s grad and New York’s Natasha Cloud, Seattle’s Skylar Diggins and Erica Wheeler, a Rutgers grad; Minnesota’s Courtney Williams and Atlanta’s Gray will also compete in the skills competition, which involves navigating an obstacle course that tests dribbling, bounce pass, chest pass, and outlet pass; also including an elbow jump shot, and 3-point attempts from the top of the arc and corner.

With Rhyne Howard of Atlanta recently injured, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced Minnesota’s Kayla McBride as her replacement for Saturday’s game.

This is the second year Connecticut moved a game from its Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville to Boston, drawing a sellout both times though the Sun team was far different beating Los Angeles last summer than this year’s edition, which fell to a league-worst 3-19, and has now lost three-straight after briefly getting to the winner’s column to stop a franchise-worst 10-game losing streak.

In the offseason, the Sun lost all five starters ands 10 of 12 on the roster and White left and became coach at Indiana, where she had an earlier stint that included the Fever’s only WNBA title when Tamika Catching’s was still an active player.

Prior to leaving Wednesday’s game, Clark had another tough night from the floor shooting 4-14 and scoring 14 points in the game nationally televised on ESPN. Kelsey Mitchell scored 20 points, Natasha Howard scored 18, shooting 8-11 from the floor, former South Carolina star Aliyah Boston returning to her hometown, scored 11 with six boards, and reserve Cunningham scored 11.

Charles, back with her original team this season, scored 21 for the Sun with 11 boards, reserve Leila Lacan scored 19, Bria Hartley scored 11, and reserve rookie Aneesah Morrow had seven points and 12 rebounds.

A group from Boston independent of the Celtics was one of the bidders who recently did not make the cut when the league recently announced after previously named Portland and Toronto join the league next season, two franchises will return to the league in 2028 in Cleveland and 2029 in Boston, with Philadelphia becoming the 18th team in 2030.

Earlier this summer, the Connecticut ownership set up a valuation for a potential sale of the team that was acquired in 2003 from Orlando and potential relocation.

Meanwhile, out West, Washington, which had been strong of late, ran into a buzzsaw from the host Sparks, whose Dearica Hamby scored 26 points and Tennessee grad Rickea Jackson scored 22.

Los Angeles finished the first half on a 17-2 run to collect 59 points, their best in either half this season.

The Mystics’ Shakira Austin scored 16 with eight boards, while Sug Sutton scored 14 and Aliyah Edwards collected 13, but Brittney Sykes was held to eight points.

Rookies Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen, who will be joined by Dallas’ overall No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers as three WNBA first-year players in the All-Star game, each scored eight while rookie second-round pick Lucy Olsen out of Villanova and Iowa in 13 minutes scored five points.

The Sparks won consecutive games for the first time this season and matched last season’s entire win total.

Azura Stevens added 15 for Los Angeles and Julie Allemand had 10 assists with three points and five rebounds.

With the league race tight in what has been an eight-for seven spots behind first-place Minnesota, the WNBA has a five-game slate on Wednesday before pausing for the All-Star weekend.

The League-leading Lynx (19-4) hosts second-place Phoenix (15-6), trailing by three games, at 1 p.m. in the Target Center in Minneapolis.

New York, set to get back Finals MVP Jonquel Jones next week, is a half-game behind Phoenix in third heading to the visit from Indiana.

Seattle (13-9) in fourth place hosts expansion Golden State (10-11) at 3 p.m., the visiting Valkyries are tied for eighth with Las Vegas, which will visit Dallas (6-16) at 8 p.m.

Atlanta (12-9), a half-place in fifth behind Seattle and a half-game in front of Indiana visits Chicago (7-14) at noon.