The Guru’s WNBA RoundUp: Indiana Without Clark Rallies to Take Series Over ‘Vegas; L.A. Wins Fourth Straight Downing Connecticut; Seattle Swamps Chicago

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

Unknown when WNBA reigning rookie of the year Caitlin Clark will be back in uniform recovered her most recent groin injury, Indiana (13-12) moved ahead and rallied for an 80-70 victory Thursday night over Las Vegas (12-12) to stop the Aces’ three-game win streak and move up a half-game of the Fever’s opponent into sixth place at home in Gainbridge Fieldhouse before a crowd of 16,166 in Indianapolis.

Clark, who had not been injured since high school, appearing in her entire Iowa collegiate career and rookie season, was sidelined in two stretches early this season with a quad and previous groin injury, and then went down again in Connecticut just ahead of the All-Star break where she was to be one of the team captains and also compete in the 3-point shooting contest in her home arena.

Exams earlier in the week revealed no new injuries.

“It’s a relief to know there’s nothing else going on and now it’s just be patient with the process,” said Indiana coach Stephanie White.

Besides those two events, she has missed 12 games to date through the injury accumulations plus the Commissioner’s Cup championship won by the Fever at Minnesota.

Clark’s teammates picked up the absence Thursday with 21 points from Kelsey Mitchell, two double-doubles from Natasha Howard (18 pts., 13 rebs.) and Aliyah Boston (13,10) and 15 points from Sophie Cunningham.

As bunched up as the Aces and Fever are in the middle of the standings, Indiana has a series tie-break 2-1 over the opposition.

While Las Vegas had been winning, Indiana lost a pair of games at New York in Brooklyn in front and behind All-Star weekend.

A’ja Wilson, the reigning MVP, had 11.7 points knocked off her 31.7 ppg. average during the Aces’ streak but still contributed 20 points while Jackie Young scored 19 and NaLyssa Smith had 10 points and 10 boards.

Trailing 41-35 at the half, Howard scored 11 of her points in the third as the Fever dominated 27-15 to take a 62-56 lead into the final quarter.

“‘Coach told us at halftime that we were playing too soft,” Howard said. “We let Las Vegas get whatever they wanted in the second quarter. When … told us that … we all locked in coming out in the second half.

The Fever stayed in front 75-70 and then finished it when Aari McDonald connected from deep and Cunningham scored two from the line.

Las Vegas on a tough back-to-back goes to first-place Minnesota (21-4) Friday at 7:30 p.m. on ION while Indiana is off until visiting Chicago Sunday at 3 p.m. on ABC.

This is the Sky’s second attempt to take advantage of Clark’s popularity and the rivalry with second-year pro Angel Reese by moving the game from Wintrust Arena to the larger United Center, home of the NBA Bulls.

Clark missed that game and now Reese is also out with an injury.

Settle Storms Over Chicago

Chicago (7-17) in one of two other WNBA games Thursday got blasted at home 95-57 by Seattle (15-10) which lived up to the Storm nickname by scoring 56 points in the second half before a Windy City crowd of 7,750 fans.

Skylar Diggins scored 21 points for the visitors, while rookie Dominique Malonga from France, who was the second overall draft pick in April, had 14 points and 10 rebounds for her first double double.

Malonga became the latest among a slew of of the league’s younger players setting WNBA statistical marks this season as she became at 19 years, 250 days, the youngest player to reach 100 points.

Seattle was up 39-26 at the half and then bolted in the third on a 13-1 run to dominate the rest of the way.

Rutgers graduate Erica Wheeler added 13 points to the Storm attack, Lexie Brown scored 12, while Gabby Williams and Nneka Ogwumike each scored 10.

Chicago’s second year pro Kamilla Cardoso scored 13 points and grabbed 13 boards while Rachel Banham equaled Cardoso’s scoring total and Elizabeth Williams scored 10.

Reese left Chicago’s Minnesota game Tuesday with a tightness in her back and did not play against Seattle.

The Sky are off until the Indiana game on Sunday while Seattle has a day off until visiting Washington Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

The Storm are in fourth a half-game in front of Atlanta (14-10) six games behind Minnesota and a game behind third-place Phoenix (15-8), which is visiting defending champion New York (16-6) Friday night at 7:30 p.m. trailing the Liberty by 1.5 games.

Chicago is 11th, tied with Dallas 13.5 games out of first and 4.5 games behind Washington, which is holding the last playoff spot a half-game in front of expansion Golden State (10-12), which hosts Dallas Friday night at 10 p.m. on ION.

Los Angeles Wins 4th Straight

Thursday’s other game saw 10th place Los Angeles (10-14) easily pick up a 95-57 win at last place Connecticut (3-20) for the Sparks’ fourth-straight win, moving within a game of Washington in front of a crowd of 7,375 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, near New London.

Kelsey Plum scored 30 with six assists for the Sparks, who are expected to welcome back by the end of the month second-year pro Cameron Brink, who missed most of last season with an injury after being drafted in the first round out of Stanford.

Dearica Hamby added 20 points and 11 boards to the Sparks attack that has gained two straight wins over the Sun after snapping a 13-game losing streak in the series.

Los Angeles tied a franchise mark scoring 90 or more points in four straight games that was set during the 2013 season.

Aura Stevens had 17 points, eight boards, four assists and three steals for the visitors while Julie Allemand scored 12.

The Sun’s Bria Hartley scored 16 points in 18 minutes but was assessed a technical foul midway through the first quarter and then was charged with another early in the third quarter to be tossed out of the game.

Tina Charles had 24 points for the home team with 10 boards, while Olivia Nelson-Ododa had 17 points.

Connecticut, suffering its worst season since the franchise was acquired from Orlando in 2003, has lost four straight and 14 of 15 games.

Los Angeles is off a day and then visits New York, which Saturday at 7 p.m. on NBA-TV, will be playing the second of a back-to-back after hosting Phoenix Saturday night.

Griner Helps Atlanta Win at Her Former Phoenix Home

Catching up to a single game played Wednesday, Phoenix at home fell to Atlanta 90-79 before a crowd of 11,850 at PHX Arena, that was the first game back to the former home of Brittney Griner, who signed as a free agent with the visiting Dream (14-10) in the offseason.

Atlanta’s Allisha Gray scored 28 points while Griner had 17 points and eight boards against her former team.

Griner spent 11 seasons in the Southwest, being the No. 1 pick in the 2013 draft headlined as the “Three to See,” with Delaware’s Elena Delle Donne taken second to Chicago, and Skylar Diggins picked out of Notre Dame.

The Mercury had a tribute video pre-game for Griner, who was part of the 2014 champions and played in the 2021 finals won by Chicago. Longtime teammate Diana Taurasi, who retired after last season, attended the game.

Atlanta’s Jordin Canada scored 14 points while Shatori Walker-Kimbrough scored 11 as the Dream continued to miss All-Star Rhyne Howard, who was injured prior to the game in Indiana and did not play.

Phoenix got back injured Satou Sabally, who also had to be replaced for last weekend’s game, and Rutgers grad Kahleah Copper out of Philadelphia.Both had been out with injuries since early this month.

Sabally scored 13, Copper scored 10, and DeWanna Bonner, who signed recently after waived by Indiana, scored 18 for the Mercury, while Alyssa Thomas had seven points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists.

While Phoenix is off to New York, Friday, in a game between the second and third place teams, Atlanta is next at Minnesota Sunday at 7 p.m. on NBA TV.

Two others of the five games that day are Golden State at Connecticut at 1 p.m. on CBSSN and Las Vegas at Dallas at 4 p.m. on ESPN3.