Caitlin Clark, Fever stay hot, take down Angel Reese, Sky

CHICAGO — Caitlin Clark had a career-high 31 points and 12 assists in her final regular-season matchup with fellow rookie sensation Angel Reese, leading the Indiana Fever to a dominating 100-81 win over the reeling Chicago Sky on Friday night.

Clark shot 8 for 14 from the field, including 5 for 9 on 3-pointers, in her 11th double-double. She is the only player to have three games of at least 25 points and 10 rebounds in a season. And she is the first WNBA player to have four games with 50-plus points scored or assisted on in a single season.

On the other side, Reese had 10 points and 11 rebounds, breaking a tie with Tina Charles for rookie double-doubles with 23 and passing Sylvia Fowles for the Chicago season record. Reese got the record with 1:32 to play, long after Clark and the other Indiana starters left the game. She also has a rookie record 399 rebounds.

Clark might have slammed the door on the much-hyped Rookie of the Year race as the Fever (16-16) beat the Sky (11-20) for the third time in four matchups, solidifying their probable playoff berth while Chicago is barely hanging on to the last spot as the season winds down.

The first matchups were decided by a total of 10 points with a pair of one-point wins for each team, while this one was a blowout. Indiana had a season best for points and Chicago gave up a season high.

“I thought we played really well and this was a big one for us,” Clark said. “It almost counts towards two when you’re in a playoff race, like a loss and a win. We knew it was a big one, but also we wanted to win the season series with them. That was kind of a focus point.”

The game drew a sellout crowd of 9,445 to Wintrust Arena on Barbie Night — a nod to Reese’s college nickname at LSU, Bayou Barbie. The crowd included Pro Basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, as well as Sue Bird — who had her own Barbie doll during her Seattle Storm playing days — and soccer star Megan Rapinoe.

Kelsey Mitchell scored 23 points on 9-for-13 shooting, her sixth straight game of at least 20 points, for the Fever, who are 5-1 since the Olympic break. NaLyssa Smith contributed 14 points and Lexie Hull had 11.

“I think we just understand each other a lot better,” Clark said of the current stretch. “Having the chemistry and having the time to play with one another you just build confidence. I think you’re seeing that. … I’m proud of this group. We’re been sharing the ball, we’re taking good shots and that’s helping our transition game and it helps us on defense, too.”

The Fever were outrebounded 42-31 but had 28 points in the paint and shot 48.5% with 26 assists on 32 baskets.

Michaela Onyenwere scored 20 points to lead Chicago, which is 1-5 since the Olympic break. Lindsay Allen had 19 points and Rachel Banham chipped in 14. The Sky were without Chennedy Carter (17.2 points a game), who sat out her second straight game because of health and safety protocols.

With Allen scoring eight quick points, Chicago scored 11 straight and turned that into a 15-1 run to open a 21-9 lead. But Indiana closed the first quarter on a 12-2 surge to trail 26-23. The Sky had four of their season-high nine 3-pointers in the first quarter

“Minus the first six minutes of the game, I thought we were really good. We played sound defense,” Clark said. “I’m just proud of this group. I thought we battled, and we didn’t let it get close at the end and that was kind of the problem last time we were here. We let them come back, we know they’re a really good fourth-quarter team, but we battled and figured it out.”

Clark then opened the second quarter with a pair of 3-pointers to put the Fever up. Ultimately, their run was 34-12, good for a 10-point advantage on Mitchell’s 3-pointer. Chicago clawed back to 47-41 at the break, pending a Reese free throw to open the second half as the result of a technical on Aliyah Boston, who was upset at a non-call, as the half ended. She made the free throw and it was a five-point game entering the second half.

The Fever pushed the lead to 11 early in the third quarter, but the Sky stayed close until Damiris Dantas hit a 3-pointer and Hull made two free throws after a hustle-play offensive rebound as time expired. It was 76-64 heading into the fourth quarter as Smith had 11 points in the third.

The lead reached 27 before Chicago closed with a 10-2 run.

“We can go up or we can go down,” Reese said. “We don’t want to continue to lose. It’s not a good feeling for any of us.”

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.