The Indiana Fever came into the first WNBA game in United Center history and conquered the Chicago Sky in a 79-52 blowout.
This is the Fever’s second win over the Sky this season, adding to a 35-point win at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on May 17.
The Fever are now back to .500 at 4-4 and will head to Atlanta to play the Dream on Tuesday.
Insider: With Steph White out, Fever don’t miss a beat with Austin Kelly acting as head coachFever vs. Sky box score, stats: Aliyah Boston, Kelsey Mitchell get best of Angel Reese, Co.Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
Here are three observations from the game:
Indiana Fever easily handle Chicago Sky even without Caitlin Clark
It was never much of a game for the national TV audience — at least, not after halftime.
Even without star guard Caitlin Clark, rotation spark Sophie Cunningham, and even coach Stephanie White, Indiana easily took down Chicago.
Indiana had an eight-point lead after the first quarter, a 13-point lead at halftime and a 29-point lead at the end of the third quarter.
It seemed like the Fever started to jell more in their fourth-straight game without Clark on the floor. They had struggled to find a rhythm and an identity without Clark, leading to a discombobulated offense, but Indiana has now put together two solid games in a row.
Some of that is thanks to Aari McDonald, who signed a hardship contract with the Fever on June 1. She brought a spark the Fever were missing with Clark and Cunningham out, scoring seven points with five assists and three steals in Tuesday’s win over Washington. She brought her spark off the bench again Saturday night, scoring back-to-back 3s after she checked in during the first quarter and finished with 12 points and four steals in 25 minutes.
Fever win first game with Stephanie White away from team
The Fever headed to Chicago for Saturday’s game without coach Stephanie White, who is currently away from the team for personal reasons.
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White was not at practice Friday afternoon, but the option remained open for her to head to Chicago on her own on Saturday if she could. She could not make it to Chicago, it was determined Saturday morning, and first assistant Austin Kelly stepped into the acting head coach role.
Kelly has worked with White for years in different aspects, dating back to 2012. He joined her staff in Connecticut in 2023, then followed her to Indianapolis after she took the job with the Fever.
Kelly, who is the Fever’s offensive coach, has a very similar coaching style to White. There aren’t going to be any major changes in Indiana’s offensive scheme, obviously, and Kelly is such a hands-on coach it’s not usual for him to be very vocal during games.
It wasn’t a big adjustment for the Fever on the court. Still, they were missing White on the sidelines.
This Fever win was for her.
“Her not being here is not easy, and I think for us as a team to try to just do as much as we can to make her proud,” Lexie Hull said pregame. “And it’s great that we have a staff that all of our players believe in. It doesn’t matter who’s leading us at that top spot, we’re going to go out there and give it our best effort.”
Indiana Fever find success in assist-heavy basketball
Since the beginning of the season, the Fever have been emphasizing assist-heavy basketball — never standing with the ball in their hands for more than a second, always making that extra pass to find the best shot.’
The Fever had nine assists on their first 10 made shots Saturday night, helping build an eight-point first quarter lead.
As their assists climbed, their lead ballooned too.
Fever center Aliyah Boston led the Fever in assists, taking advantage of kicking the ball out from the paint for five dimes. DeWanna Bonner and Sydney Colson each had three.
In all, the Fever finished with 20 assists on 27 made shots.
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