Fever vs Sun: Will Caitlin Clark Redeem Herself of Her Olympic Snub? Prediction, Injury Report and Starting 5

The Connecticut Sun will clash with the Indiana Fever on Monday at 7 PM ET. The game will take place at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville. While the Sun has an exceptional 9-1 tally, the Fever has an abysmal 3-9 record. 

Nonetheless, the match will be interesting since it will make clear if Clark has adjusted to the WNBA level. Moreover, it will be the first appearance of Clark after her snub from the Olympic team.

Players to Watch

The main player to watch in this game will be Caitlin Clark. Clark has been the leading scorer for the Fever with 16.8 points per game. She is a fan favorite. Not only this, Clark also leads in assists average and steals average with 6.3 assists per game and 1.5 steals per contest.

Furthermore, since Clark wasn’t selected for the Olympics, her head coach Christie Sides remarked that Clark had stated, ‘They woke a monster.” Hence, it will be interesting to see how Clark performs now.

The other star from the Fever’s camp to look at is Kelsey Mitchell. Mitchell has been a main part of the resurgence plans of the Fever and therefore, her game will attract a huge crowd. Mitchell has smashed 15.2 points per game with 2.1 assists per contest. Mitchell along with Clark can change the course of the game and in turn, also set the tone for the upcoming games.

For the Sun, the chief athlete who will catch a lot of attention is DeWanna Bonner. Bonner has smoked 18.8 points per game with 5.9 rebounds per contest. Her best performance this season has been against the Indiana Fever when she potted 22 points in a rampage. Will Indiana be able to screen Bonner? Only time will tell.

Another player who can turn the course of the match is Brionna Jones. Jones has smoked 13.3 points per contest with 4.7 rebounds per match. If Bonner and Jones unite together then there is no stopping them. Hence, Indiana will have to make sure that both of them do not get to pass the ball around a lot of times.

Head to Head

The Indiana Fever and the Connecticut Sun have played a total of 80 games against each other, as per AiScore. The Sun has been the winner most of the time (51) whereas the Fever has emerged victorious only 29 times. Furthermore, stats also support the home win of the Sun since they have a triumphant percentage of 76.3% at home. Surely, all this is going to put a lot of pressure on the Fever.

Prediction

The Sun won their last game against the Fever by an 88-84 margin. Therefore, despite the Fever having only three wins they came closer to a strong team and the same can be expected in the upcoming game. The Fever and the Sun will have a neck-to-neck competition.

With Clark being screened by 2-3 defenders, the Fever have mostly relied on their defense more than their offense. The Sun too have usually scored in the 70s and 80s and hence, whichever team does better in the back-court has more chances of winning the game. As of now, the Sun will look to have a better defense with four of their core players Bonner, Jones, Alyssa Thomas, and DiJonai Carrington forming an impenetrable defensive wall.

Injury Report

The Indiana Fever has two of their athletes injured – Damiris Dantas and Temi Fagbenle. As per Rotowire, while Dantas is out due to a knee injury, Fagbenle has been sidelined due to a foot injury.

Meanwhile, the Sun is sustaining one injury in Moriah Jefferson. She has an injured ankle and won’t likely play the game against the Fever.

Starting 5

Indiana Fever: Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, NaLyssa Smith, Aliyah Boston, Katie Lou Samuelson

Connecticut Sun: DeWanna Bonner, Brionna Jones, Alyssa Thomas, DiJonai Carrington, Tyasha Harris

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the Reese-Clark rivalry and more, watch this video.