Fever Crush Wings as Caitlin Clark Overshadows Paige Bueckers

Caitlin vs. Paige

Wings rookie guard Paige Bueckers played a solid game from a scoring standpoint. She tallied a game-high 21 points, and you might even say she’s the only Wing who showed up in Indy. Clark, however had a better overall game — scoring 14 points and dealing 13 assists. In addition to her double-double, Clark was active on the defensive end with five steals and a huge block in the second quarter which led to a bucket in transition.

The matchup didn’t disappoint. Bueckers gave buckets, but the Fever defense contained everyone else. 

0.5 seconds or less … WNBA style

In the NBA, the Golden State Warriors’ read-and react motion offense has a principle of making the decision to pass, drive or shoot within a half second. Indiana appears to be adopting that same principle. White wants to have her players to make a decision within half a second to prevent stalling, and it’s been a point of emphasis. By making quick, efficient decisions with the ball, the Fever scored 36 points in the second quarter — tying the mark for the most points by any WNBA team in a quarter this season. White credits her squad’s efficiency in moving the ball.

“I like the fact that we had a 75% assist rate — 30 assists on 40 made field goals is really good,” White said after the game. “We got it moving. We were playing close to point-five basketball in the second quarter.”

Wings active at the deadline?

Dallas, at 6-16 is just one spot removed from the WNBA cellar. Despite having a seemingly competent and solid roster on paper, the Wings don’t appear to be improving. Although Bueckers has hit her stride, she isn’t getting the help she needs on both ends of the court. 

That said, there is still plenty of ball left to play. With a talent such as Bueckers and the desire to get the right players around her, look for Dallas to be active at the trade deadline. The Wings would be wise to acquire players that mesh with their superstar rookie. Even if they don’t make a playoff push this season, they could build strong chemistry and be ready to compete next season.