CAITLIN CLARK’S JOY IS DEAD DUE TO ERICA WHEELER & CHRISTIE SIDES. WHY IS ALIYAH BOSTON SKATING BY?

Play video:

.

.

.

https://www.youtube.com/live/mPYqzna6D8U?si=5BAD_4_DNFGqZL4r

https://www.youtube.com/live/mPYqzna6D8U?si=btSwMKCQgnHkZRdh

Caitlin Clark struggles in home opener as Fever walloped by Breanna Stewart, Liberty

Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever home opener Thursday was even more challenging than her WNBA debut, as the New York Liberty handed the Fever a 102-66 loss.

The Fever fall to 0-2 as Clark finished with nine points, seven rebounds, six assists and a block. She shot 2 of 8 from the field and 1 of 7 from 3-point range. Aliyah Boston, the 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year, added a team-high 12 points for Indiana and grabbed seven rebounds.

Breanna Stewart was dominant for the Liberty, scoring a game-high 31 points along with 10 rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks. Jonquel Jones posted a double-double of her own, chipping in 14 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.

New York won the rebound battle 40-26, forced Indiana into as many turnovers as assists (13) and improved to 2-0.

What was perhaps most surprising in the Fever’s opening game was how uncomfortable Clark looked with the ball in her hands. Although her scoring has drawn the most attention since her collegiate days, Clark has always been an outstanding floor general and can get her teammates going even as her individual offense ebbs and flows.

That creative ability was stunted against a Connecticut Sun defense designed to take away her passing. She was reckless with her distribution, resulting in a record 10 turnovers in her first game. Her command of the offense changed significantly against the Liberty.

New York didn’t bring two to the ball as often, and Clark was able to get into the teeth of defense for drive-and-kicks. She hit Boston rolling to the basket and also fed her center for post-ups in the paint.

There were still a few Clark passes that were too hot to handle, but overall the six assists to three turnovers is more in line with how Clark should be running the show.

Defensively, Clark was more up to the challenge. She forced a tie-up on a drive in the first half and had active hands, forcing a couple turnovers by blocking Courtney Vandersloot’s field of vision. After her rebound total was a goose egg in the first game, Clark collected seven boards against the Liberty.

She still committed five fouls, however, and has to adjust to the way referees are calling contact at the pro level.

The problem for Clark was she couldn’t make enough shots, with multiple 3-point attempts rimming out. She had only one single-digit scoring outing during her entire Iowa career, when she finished with eight points in a loss to Northwestern as a freshman.

The Fever didn’t try to let Clark shoot her way into rhythm, as she finished the game with eight field goal attempts. Her best stretch of the game came at the end of the third quarter, when Indiana went on a 12-0 run over four minutes to cut the deficit to 11 points. The Fever essentially didn’t run any sets during that sequence, simply allowing Clark to push the tempo and see what happened.

Part of Clark’s success during that run was that she was defended by fellow WNBA rookie Leonie Fiebich instead of two-time WNBA All-Defense selection Betnijah Laney-Hamilton. But the free-flowing nature of the offense was more in line with how Clark played at Iowa, and how she seems most comfortable.

Indiana spent most of the first half in the half court without a lot of player movement off the ball. Erica Wheeler, Katie Lou Samuelson and Boston don’t generally thrive in transition, and there seems to be a disconnect between their overall speed and Clark’s default tempo.

The Fever had only two fast-break points all game.

Pairing Clark with a rim runner such as Temi Fagbenle and quicker wings such as Lexie Hull and Grace Berger yielded better offensive results against New York.

Eventually, the hub of the Fever’s offense should be the two-player game of Clark and Boston, and ideally a heavy diet of pick-and-rolls. But for another night, the chemistry of the team’s two best players wasn’t evident.

Indiana opened the season against the team with the second-best defense in the WNBA in 2023. The Liberty were third in defense but also had the second-best offense in the league en route to a trip to the WNBA Finals. The Fever play Saturday in New York before facing off against Connecticut again on Monday.

They then have a west coast trip that starts with a matchup against a projected super team in the Seattle Storm. They get a minor reprieve against the Los Angeles Sparks, but the Las Vegas Aces wait on the other end of the back-to-back. It’s possible Indiana starts the season 1-6, even if the team starts playing significantly better.

It’s a murderer’s row of opponents, one that will continue to challenge this young roster. The Fever also don’t have more than one day off between games until after the matchup against the defending champs, limiting their practice time as they learn to play together.