Dream vs Fever: Injury Report, Prediction and Starting 5 for Caitlin Clark and Co.’s Road Game in Atlanta

An important road game awaits Caitlin Clark and Co. at the State Farm Arena on Friday evening. After securing three straight wins, the Indiana Fever are set to face the Atlanta Dream. However, it will not be a walk in the park for Christie Sides’ crew as this is the first time in more than 10 days that they won’t be able to capitalize on their home conditions.

Besides this, their roster will also be missing out on the services of a few players. Who can the crowd expect to take the court tomorrow? Let’s find out.

Injury update in the Fever and Dream locker rooms

Caitlin Clark and the rest will face the unavailability of two ballers in the form of center Temi Fagbenle and forward Damiris Dantas. The 31-year-old Fagbenle is nursing a left foot injury at the moment. The unfortunate circumstance arrived when the Fever was squaring off against 3x WNBA champions the LA Sparks on May 28. An official assessment was due on Thursday 21st June regarding her future participation. However, there is still no official update about her availability.

Meanwhile, fans are eager to know more regarding the playing status of Damiris Dantas. As per indystar.com, her contract with the franchise has been temporarily suspended. Being in Brazil in Indiana’s first week of training camp due to visa and family issues, a right knee injury cut short her training in the subsequent week.

On the other hand, guards Jordin Canada and Rhyne Howard will not feature in tomorrow’s game on Atlanta’s side. Canada is currently undergoing treatment for her hand injury and there is no telling of her return. As for two-time All-Star, Howard, her apparent ankle sprain keeps her out of the court for indefinite time. Moreover, there are gloomy clouds wandering over her involvement in the Team USA 3×3 team for the Paris Olympics. At the same time, the Dream might have to face Indiana in the absence of their 5 ft 11 in shooting guard Aerial Powers because of illness.

In the meantime, there are a handful of players in both teams who can decide the outcome of the fixture.

Which Atlanta players can make an impact against Caitlin Clark and the Fever?

According to ESPN’s Matchup Predictor, the Dream will be entering the contest with a 68.1% winning possibility. With their offensive weapon Rhyne Howard out of the picture, the responsibilities will fall on the shoulders of Tina Charles. The other players who can accompany her are Nia Coffey, Allisha Gray, Haley Jones and either Cheyenne Parker or Lorela Cubaj.

Things are slightly better for the visitors as their starters are sorted even though their winning chances stand at 31.9%. The crowd can expect to see Caitlin Clark take the court alongside Aliyah Boston, Kelsey Mitchell, NaLyssa Smith, and Kristy Wallace.

Indeed, it will be an enticing contest for those in attendance as well as those enjoying from the comfort of their homes. Spectators can expect to see Caitlin Clark trying to keep Fever’s winning momentum alive. It will be a daunting task for the home team to try and contain the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.