On Thursday night, two of the most high-profile players in the WNBA will face off as Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream take on Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever in the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup. Heading into the game, though, it seems like Reese and her team have a strong advantage.
While the Fever have had one of the most high-powered offenses in the league behind Clark’s prolific scoring ability, the team has had some high-profile struggles on the defensive side of the ball. Reese and Atlanta seem perfectly equipped to take advantage of that.
Indiana’s Defensive Struggles
Over the past few weeks, Indiana’s struggles on the defensive side of the ball have been well documented, especially when it comes to Clark.
During Saturday’s game against the Portland Fire, Clark had some high-profile struggles on the defensive side of the ball. Clark could not seem to defend Portland guard Carla Weite, who finished the game with 18 points and 12 assists, but she also had problems even staying on the court without fouling. Clark spent a significant portion of the game in foul trouble, which meant she spent a significant portion of the game on the bench.
However, Indiana’s defensive struggles are not limited to Clark.
So far this season, the Fever are allowing an eye-popping 89 points per game, which is good for second-worst in the entire league. The Fever foul more often than almost any other team in the league, as well, averaging 24.9 personal fouls per game, which ranks second-worst in the league behind only the Washington Mystics, which average 25 fouls per game.
Again, this isn’t just due to Clark or the other guards. The Fever have actually been struggling mightily in the paint, as the team gave up 52 points in the paint to the Fire on Saturday night while allowing Portland to shoot 51.4% from the floor.
Reese and Dream Pose a Threat
Unfortunately for Clark and the Fever, Reese and the Atlanta Dream seem uniquely poised to take advantage of the porous defense the Fever have shown so far this year.
Reese, who has established herself as the best and most consistent rebounder in WNBA history through her first two seasons, poses a unique threat for the Fever in the paint, where the team has struggled. She has once again been dominating this season, as she averages a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds per game.
Given how the Fever have struggled against strong post players this year, this seems like a favorable matchup for Reese.
It won’t just be Reese, either. While Clark has been one of the best guards in the league in terms of scoring, Dream star Allisha Gray has actually been even better, averaging 20.4 points per game on the season compared to Clark’s 20.1. If Clark struggled to defend Weite, she’s certainly going to have her hands full with Gray.
The Fever will be looking for a bounce-back performance after back-to-back deflating losses, and they’re entering the game as a slight favorite. However, the Dream have all the tools to dominate this game.
About Dave Kelsey
Contributing author to The Comeback.