WNBA rookie tracker: Clark, Fever get critical win in chase for playoff berth
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. 26
Guard | 6-foot | Game log | Stats
Last time out: Despite briefly leaving the game in the first quarter with an apparent ankle injury, Clark returned to finish with 19 points (6-for-14 shooting, including 4-for-9 on 3-pointers), 7 assists and 7 rebounds in the Fever’s 84-79 win over the Atlanta Dream on Monday.
The rookie notched her 21st game with 15 points and 5 assists, the most such games in a single WNBA season. Her fourth trey of the night was also her 85th on the season, tying the rookie record set by fellow former No. 1 pick Rhyne Howard two years ago.
Another bright spot for Clark: She committed just two turnovers Monday, her fewest in a game since May 24 against the Los Angeles Sparks.
What we learned: Following Saturday’s loss to the Minnesota Lynx, seventh-place Indiana (14-16) got back in the win column, improving to 3-0 against the Dream this season and moving 3.5 games ahead of them in the standings. That edge could prove massive with playoffs around the corner, as Atlanta (10-19) has surged following the Olympic break and is now only one game back of the Chicago Sky (11-18) in hopes of a playoff spot.
With 10 games remaining and Chicago still 2.5 games behind them, Indiana continues to look well on its way to returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
And with the victory, the Fever recorded their most wins in a seasons since 2016 (14 and counting). They are 11-6 since June 13, tied for the fourth-best record in the league during that span. — Alexa Philippou
Up next: vs. Connecticut Sun on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET, NBA TV)
0:18
Angel Reese muscles in a Sky layup
Angel Reese bodies her way to the rim for a Sky layup.
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)
0:17
Rickea Jackson sinks one from downtown for Sparks
Rickea Jackson sinks 3-pointer from downtown to give the Sparks an early 8-0 lead vs. the Wings.
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)
0:17
Kamilla Cardoso gets the And-1
Kamilla Cardoso gets the And-1, 08/25/2024
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)
