Indiana has had the best offensive rating in the league since June 13, and Friday’s performance will only boost that number.
The first three Indiana Fever-Chicago Sky games were defined by their competitive nature, with those June matchups being decided by a combined 10 points.
That wasn’t the case Friday, though, in the teams‘ fourth and final meeting of the regular season: The Fever (16-16) cruised to a 100-81 victory — and led by as many as 27 — to reach the .500 mark for the first time since May 2022, when they were just 2-2. Indiana’s 103 straight games under .500 was the third-longest streak in WNBA history, per Elias Sports Bureau.
The last time the franchise was .500 or better in the month of August? That would be 2016, the legendary Tamika Catching’s final season.
Behind their largest margin of victory this season, the Fever also ensured a win of the season series against the Sky 3-1.
„It feels good to be sitting at .500 right now“, Indiana coach Christie Sides said. „It’s been a really long time since the Fever sat at .500. I’m just really proud of that and where we are from where we started. But I never had any doubts that this is where we could be.“
Indiana has been one of the hottest teams in the league since the Olympic break, improving to 5-1 in that span. By hitting the century mark on Friday — a season high in scoring — the Fever demonstrated once more how they’ve had the best offense in the league since mid-June and how they’ve become one of the WNBA’s most dangerous teams.
Rookie sensation Caitlin Clark was spellbinding with 31 points, a career high, and 12 assists. She is the fifth player in WNBA history with 30 points and 10 assists in a game and third to achieve that stat line in regulation.
Chicago, which held a Barbie Night in honor of rookie star Angel Reese, has lost five straight games and six of seven in the second half. Michaela Onyenwere and Lindsay Allen paced the Sky with 20 and 19 points, respectively.
Here are three takeaways from the contest.
Indiana has had the best offensive rating in the league since June 13, and Friday’s performance will only boost that number.
After a starting slow and falling behind by 13, the Fever got into a groove with their bread and butter: by pushing the pace and converting from the 3-point arc.
