WNBA rookie tracker: Reese ties WNBA rookie record with 22nd double-double

All eyes are on the WNBA playoff push with less than a month remaining in the 2024 regular season.

But the most anticipated draft class in league history also continues to draw attention. Caitlin Clark, the No. 1 pick in April, hopes to lead the Indiana Fever back to the postseason for the first time since 2016. And Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso hope to lead the Chicago Sky to the playoffs as well.

Clark and Reese have already etched their names into the record books this season. Clark set the WNBA single-game record with 19 assists, and she is the first rookie in league history to tally a triple-double. Reese set a WNBA record for consecutive double-doubles (15).

We’ll continue to track the top rookie performances every game day throughout the season.

Last updated: Aug. 25

Forward | 6-foot-3 | Game log | Stats

Last time out: Reese got her 22nd double-double (11 points, 22 rebounds) to tie Tina Charles’ rookie record set in 2010. Reese also had one assist and two blocks, but the Sky lost 77-75 on a last-second shot by the Las Vegas Aces‘ A’ja Wilson.

If that sounds a lot like the disappointing 82-80 loss Chicago had Friday against the Sun in Connecticut, it is. Reese also topped the 20-rebound mark in that game; she has now done it in three straight games.

That’s uncharted waters in the WNBA; even two in a row had never been done before. The last player to do it in three straight in the NBA — whose games are eight minutes longer than WNBA games — was the Detroit Pistons‘ Ben Wallace in 2003. Before that, it was the legendary Wilt Chamberlain, who had multiple such streaks in 1973 with the Los Angeles Lakers.

While Reese is having a historic season, the Sky have been struggling. They have lost three consecutive games and four of five since the WNBA resumed play after the Olympic break. They now hold a half-game lead for eighth place and the final playoff spot over the Atlanta Dream.

What we learned: The Sky did a lot right in this game, especially in defending Wilson. Reese was a big part of that, along with Kamilla Cardoso. Wilson missed a career-high 20 shots. However, she made the game winner on an inbounds pass when Reese had been screened by Aces guard Kelsey Plum. That left Wilson with a one-on-one matchup against Chicago guard Lindsay Allen, and Wilson didn’t miss the shot.

On one hand, the Sky playing to the buzzer against the Sun and the Aces in these past two games shows how good Chicago can be. But in both cases, they let key potential victories get away. And Reese’s shooting woes continued; she was 4-of-16 from the field Sunday and is 23-of-71 (32.4%) in Chicago’s past five games. — Michael Voepel

Up next: vs. Washington Mystics on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET)

---

Forward | 6-foot-2 | Game log | Stats

Last time out: The good news for the Sparks is Jackson continues to make progress as a rookie, getting a career-high 25 points Sunday. The bad news is the Sparks aren’t making progress winning games. They have lost seven in a row, and Sunday’s 113-110 defeat at Dallas was historic in a bad way: It’s the most points a losing team has ever scored in a regulation (non-overtime) game in WNBA history.

It’s also the second-most points the Sparks, an original WNBA franchise, have ever scored in a game, behind 115 at Chicago in 2017. That’s the kind of season it has been for Los Angeles.

Jackson was 9-of-15 shooting, getting 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks. She played 37 minutes. Her point total was the most by a Sparks rookie since Nneka Ogwumike had 30 points in 2012, when she was the No. 1 pick.

Jackson has scored in double figures for eight consecutive games, and in 12 of her past 13.

What we learned: The fourth quarter was part epic Wings surge, and part epic Sparks collapse. Dallas trailed by 19 entering the final 10 minutes, then outscored Los Angeles 40-18. Since quarters were implemented in the WNBA in 2006, Dallas is the third team to win after overcoming a 19-point deficit going into the fourth quarter, and the first to do so in regulation.

The Sparks are 6-24, tying for their most losses in a season (10-24 in 2007). Now that the WNBA has a 40-game schedule, the Sparks can break the record. They surely don’t want to, but with 10 games left, they’re going to. — Voepel

Up next: vs. New York Liberty on Wednesday (10 p.m. ET, NBA TV)

---

Center | 6-foot-7 | Game log | Stats

Last time out: Cardoso had 8 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists and a season-high 5 blocks Sunday in Chicago’s 77-75 loss to visiting Las Vegas. All of Cardoso’s blocks came against Aces star Wilson, a fellow former South Carolina Gamecock. Cardoso matched the Sky rookie record for blocks in a game; Sylvia Fowles also had five in her first season with Chicago in 2008.

While Cardoso and Reese did a good job defensively against Wilson, neither shot the ball well. That’s a departure from what Cardoso has been doing of late. She was 4-of-10 from the field Sunday, as she and Reese combined to go 8-of-26 (30.8%).

What we learned: Cardoso had double-digit shot attempts from the field Sunday for the fifth time this season. That’s a good sign. The Sky just needed a little better finishing touch from their two rookie post players to pull off what would have been an important win. But the fact that they played as well defensively as they did was notable, and key for them to try to hold on to their playoff spot. — Voepel

Up next: vs. Washington Mystics on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET)

---

Guard | 6-foot | Game log | Stats

Last time out: The Fever ran into the hottest team in the WNBA since the Olympic break ended — the Minnesota Lynx — and fell 90-80 on a night when former Lynx superstar Maya Moore’s jersey was retired at Target Center before a crowd of 19,023.

“It was a great environment for her, and she definitely deserves it,” said Clark, who went to Lynx games as a child and grew up a fan of Moore. “It’s cool to play in front of her. She’s courtside, and you look over and that’s your childhood idol.”

There were also plenty of fans on hand to see Clark, playing just a few hours from her hometown of West Des Moines, Iowa. Clark led the Fever with 23 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds.

She became the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 500 points and 200 assists, doing so in 29 games. The next fastest was retired Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird (35 games) and third was New York guard Sabrina Ionescu (40).

It was also Clark’s 11th game with at least 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists; she’s one away from tying New York’s Breanna Stewart for most such games in a season. (Stewart had 12 last year.) Moore had eight such games in the 2015 season, when the Lynx won their third WNBA championship.

It was Clark’s fourth consecutive 20/5/5 game, the longest streak in WNBA history. However, she also had seven turnovers Saturday, and the Fever as a team had 15 to Minnesota’s 10. Clark was 8-of-18 from the field, 3-of-8 from behind the arc. The Fever were 7-of-29 from 3-point range, compared to Minnesota’s 11-of-27. The Lynx shot 50.8% from the field.

What we learned: Clark’s historic season continues, as does the success the starting backcourt of Clark and Kelsey Mitchell is having. (Mitchell had 21 points Saturday.) There may be some concern about the Fever’s post offense. Starting forwards Aliyah Boston, NaLyssa Smith and Katie Lou Samuelson were a combined 6-of-19 from the field for 12 points. — Voepel

Up next: at Atlanta Dream on Monday (7:30 p.m. ET, NBA TV)