The Indiana Fever will try to avoid a three-game season sweep Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Sparks. Riding a five game winning streak is just what the team needed after facing a rocky start to the season. Head coach Stephanie White’s squad has had to overcome a lot from injuries to players coming and going but now her team seems to be playing as a complete unit despite Caitlin Clark’s absence.
Clark has missed the last seven games, the most of her entire basketball career. Consistency in rhythm is what the Fever have lacked most of the season, but have recently put it all together in just the last week. Several players have stepped up in big ways from All-Stars Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell to the team’s newest members Sophie Cunningham and Natasha Howard. However, the Fever go into the second game of their west coast trip facing the Los Angeles Sparks, who have beaten the Fever in both meetings this season.
Both Mitchell and Boston are averaging 16.0 points a game while Cunningham is shooting almost 50 percent from the field. Newcomer Aari McDonald has made some noise for the Fever as well. She plays fast off the ball creating nightmare scenarios for defenses to keep up with.
The Fever have beaten good teams this season, but the tempo that the Sparks play at has created some problems for them. Kelsey Plum is a sharp shooter that the Fever have struggled with shutting down in both match-ups and to add to it, the Sparks will have a healthy Cameron Brink back in the lineup. One thing playing into the Fever’s advantage is the Sparks have struggled to win at home all season – a 3-9 record when playing at Crypto.com Arena. Another positive factor is the Fever themselves have had solid shooting and have cracked down on the defensive side of the ball. With no timetable yet for Clark’s return, the Fever hope to continue the momentum before heading back to Gainbridge Fieldhouse this weekend.
They face the Sparks tonight at 10 p.m. EST on CBS Sports Network.