In mid-June, freshman Caitlin Clark described how the Indiana Fever judges itself independent of the endless outside noise.
“Nobody came in here and said we were going to be WNBA champions on Day 1,” Clark said. “Our goal is to get back to the playoffs, and we’re fighting for that every night.”
Now that June is over, the Fever (8-12) are halfway through the 40-game WNBA schedule, and their focus remains the same. Indiana, which climbs to No. 6 this week in ESPN’s WNBA rankings, wants to keep growth, unity, perspective and the playoffs in mind. The Fever did that Sunday in an 88-82 comeback victory in Phoenix, capping a 7-4 June mark.
Clark was one rebound away from what would have been the first triple-double by a WNBA rookie. She and center Aliyah Boston combined for 32 points, 17 rebounds and 16 assists. The No. 1 picks in the 2023 and 2024 drafts faced two other No. 1s: Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner, who were drafted nine years apart and played together for the past decade in Phoenix. Boston was asked if Taurasi and Griner were role models for her and Clark.
“It’s special what DT and BG have been able to do,” Boston said of the WNBA and Olympic champions. “I think with Caitlin and I, we’re looking to be a great guard-post duo. We’ve gotten to know each other better over the course of these games.”
Sunday’s win was the Fever’s first victory this season against a team with a winning record, and the first time since 2022 that they came back from a deficit of at least 15 points to win. Indiana had five players score in double figures. And led by forward NaLyssa Smith (15 rebounds), the Fever dominated the battle of the boards 42-28.
Veteran Temi Fagbenle, who returned Thursday from a foot injury suffered in May, made an immediate impact in her first two games back with a combined 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting and nine rebounds.
Fagbenle, 31, and guard Erica Wheeler, 33, bring veteran experience. The Fever and Mercury got into an awkward skirmish in a turbulent second quarter after crowding too close together on the court. Fagbenle and Wheeler were assessed technical fouls, as were Phoenix’s Natasha Cloud and Kahleah Copper. For the Fever, the coaches sent a “don’t back down” message that Indiana needed.
The Fever still have a long way to go to secure the playoff spot the franchise last earned in 2016. They’ll face the surging Las Vegas Aces on Tuesday (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN), the first of five games remaining before the All-Star/Olympic break.
Clark, who is suffering from the effects of a migraine, did not speak to the media after Sunday’s game. But before kickoff, she spoke about Taurasi, one of the first WNBA players she idolized as a child, and how the Fever have started to take shape after their rocky start.
“Nobody has ever given up, everybody just wants to get better,” Clark said. “(We) know there’s a lot of potential in this group. There’s always been a positive energy around us.”
Previous rankings: Pre-season | May 20 | May 27 | June 3 | June 10 | June 17 | June 24
Previous ranking: 1
This week: @ NY (July 2), vs CON (July 4), vs WAS (July 6)
The Commissioner’s Cup Finals don’t count toward the WNBA standings, but the Lynx remain in the lead after their Cup win in New York on Tuesday and a victory in Chicago on Sunday. Meanwhile, they lost in the morning game in Dallas, but that wasn’t enough to knock the Lynx off their perch. They return to New York this week, which could be a challenge. Last week, including the Cup Finals (those stats also don’t count toward the regular season), Napheesa Collier averaged 21 points, 9.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.0 steals.
Previous ranking: 2
This week: vs. MIN (July 2), @ IND (July 6)
The Liberty are second here but still lead the WNBA standings. Turnovers (20) were a big problem in their 94-89 Cup loss to the Lynx. They fixed that problem by giving up just five turnovers in their 81-75 win over Atlanta on Sunday. Last week saw the return of Liberty guard Courtney Vandersloot, who missed eight games after her mother died. After coming on in the Cup final, she started Sunday, putting up seven points and seven assists in 21 minutes.
Previous: 6
This week: vs. IND (July 2), vs. WAS (July 4), @ LA (July 5), vs. DAL (July 7)
Look who’s back! After the Aces fell to 6-6 on June 15, prompting a postgame press conference in which A’ja Wilson vowed to inspire her teammates, Vegas has won four straight. Chelsea Gray’s return on June 19 obviously helped; in last week’s wins over Chicago and Washington, she had 30 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. The Aces’ streak could continue; in their eight games before the break, they’ve faced only one team (Seattle) that currently has a winning record.
Previous ranking: 4
This week: vs. DAL (July 1), vs. CHI (July 5), vs. CHI (July 7)
Seattle holds onto the No. 4 spot for the fifth straight week. Last week, the Storm beat Indiana and Dallas, and Jewell Loyd was on fire for a combined 64 points. Talk about making teams pay for fouling her: Loyd made 24 of 25 shots in those two games. The Storm, who are 7-1 at home, play their next six games there.
Previous ranking: 3
This week: @ PHO (July 1), @ MIN (July 4), vs ATL (July 7)
After starting the season 9-0, the Suns have slumped, going 5-4 since then. Last week, they had to go to overtime to win at Washington, then lost at home to Atlanta. Connecticut’s offense has slumped in the last five games, scoring at least 80 points in only one (against the Mystics). The Suns’ remaining schedule before the All-Star/Olympic break is not easy: They face New York and Phoenix twice, as well as Minnesota and Atlanta.
Previous ranking: 8
This week: @ LV (July 2), vs NY (July 6)
The Fever lost at Seattle on Thursday, after which coach Christie Sides said she wanted Clark to try to average 15 shots per game. Clark has had at least 15 attempts from the field just six times, the most recent being her 30-point performance at Washington on June 7. She came close Sunday (14). But her passing was the biggest key to beating Phoenix; she had 19 assists in the two games last week. And while she had six turnovers against the Mercury, none of them came in the crucial fourth quarter.
Previous ranking: 5
This week: vs. CON (July 1), @ DAL (July 3), @ LA (July 7)
The Mercury have to ask themselves, “Are we better than a .500 team?” Because that’s where they’ve hovered all season. Last week was a perfect example: They beat Los Angeles on Friday but couldn’t beat Indiana on Sunday despite blowing a 15-point lead. In the crunch against the young Fever, the Mercury made more mistakes, including a few undisciplined fouls. With five of their seven games before the break on the road, the Mercury will be tested again.
Previous ranking: ten
This week: vs. CHI (July 2), @ DAL (July 5), @ CON (July 7)
Atlanta has lost four of its last five games, but the win came Friday at Connecticut. It was enough to move the Dream up a few spots in the standings. Rhyne Howard has now missed four games since injuring his ankle June 19 at Minnesota. Atlanta, meanwhile, has leaned even more heavily on Allisha Gray and Tina Charles. Like the Mercury, the Dream will play five of their next seven games before the break on the road.
Previous ranking: 7
This week: @ ATL (July 2), @ SEA (July 5), @ SEA (July 7)
Angel Reese continues to rack up double-doubles — she had her 10th in a row Sunday in a loss to the Lynx — and makes the Rookie of the Year race with Clark interesting. But the Sky also lost to the Aces on Thursday, their sixth loss in eight games. And yes, there’s a pattern here: They also play five of their next seven games before the break on the road. The Sky’s playoff hopes could get a boost (or a real blow) during that stretch.
Previous ranking: 9
This week: @ LA (July 2), @ LV (July 4), @ MIN (July 6)
The Mystics have the worst record in the league, but they’re not the team struggling the most right now. (That’s the Sparks.) After an 0-12 start to the season, Washington is 4-3. That includes Thursday’s 94-91 overtime loss to Connecticut and an 11-point loss to Las Vegas on Saturday. With their next four games on the road, it could be tough for the Mystics to regain any momentum.
Previous ranking: 12
This week: @ SEA (July 1), vs PHO (July 3), vs ATL (July 5), @ LV (July 7)
The Wings’ nightmare 11-game losing streak ended Thursday with a 94-88 win over Minnesota. That was followed by a loss at Seattle. The Wings have a lot of work to do to get back into playoff contention. But with an offensive talent like Arike Ogunbowale (47 points and 13 assists last week), don’t discount Dallas so soon.
Previous ranking: 11
This week: vs. WAS (July 2), vs. LV (July 5), vs. PHO (July 7)
The Sparks are winless in their last seven road games, a stretch that began June 11 and ended Friday against Phoenix. The Sparks play five of their next six games at home, and we’ll see if that gives them anything positive to take away from the break. Dearica Hamby remains a bright spot; she tied a career-high with 29 points against the Mercury and will play in the Olympic 3×3 tournament in place of injured Sparks teammate Cameron Brink.
