The first professional confrontation of Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers was up to the media threshing. But it was more an attractive introduction to that future head competitions contain for these two winners of Naismiths, rather than a close assault competition.
For as much pleasure as to look at them individually, their teams are not at the same level to make them an equal match. The main differentiator between the two was as clear after the 19 -point victory in Indiana fever as before the guards took the court.
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Clark is helped by a front office which invested massively after the consecutive choices of recovery n ° 1 in 2023 and 2024. Bueckers is the fundamental part in a field of construction blocks that the organization of the Wings of Dallas has not yet reconstituted. Closing on the stars break, the Wings (6-16) are five games back from a place in the playoffs. The fever (11-10), although incoherent, is always able to enter the first four.
If they do, they need more what they saw from Clark on Sunday, which was more than the points, 3s and even the aids with which she dazzles fans.
The data: five interceptions, corresponding to a career summit. (Most came out of Bueckers, which equaled a career summit with four reversals.) A block, equaling the total of the ALIYAH BOSTON 6 -inch center match. Seven deviations, according to head coach Stephanie White.
After the victory of 102-83 on Sunday, which closed a Homeste 2-0, White congratulated the defensive vision of Clark and the ability to stay disciplined with the hands in the passage to switch and fly, rather than biting a defender and needing help.
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“This is what it will take to him regularly,” said White. “She must be able to bring the offensive and the defense to the other end of the prosecution. And she continued to grow in this area throughout the season. And for us to accomplish the things we want to do, she must be more proud of that.”
White came from the training of an Elite Connecticut Sun Defense classified first in a score and the first three in interceptions. The defense was the way they won matches. In Indiana, it is more than limiting the production of the opponent. It must be an offensive strategy and a winning strategy that led to a feast fever on the wings.
“For us to play in transition, we have to block ourselves on the defensive,” said White.
This rapid offense in which Clark Prosperous needs a starting point. These are generally defensive rebounds, passes and flights to tilt. Because, as far as Clark is known for its logo 3, it is exquisite at more than 50 feet on a penny:
And this:
Another look (seriously, this passage of touch on the outstretched hand of myisha hines-allen is absurd):
Clark did not quite break out of a shooting crisis which hampered its second season of the WNBA, a potential result of injuries (hamstrings, quad) which also limited its availability. She has not cracked two 3 in a match since June 17 against Connecticut, and has only overshadowed 30% range once during this period.
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“I feel like I’m a few shots to have a very good game,” said Clark.
The beauty of her talent, and that of those around her, is that she doesn’t always need it to fall. The fever scored the most points in the first half (64) of any team this season for a 22-point lead at halftime.
While Clark watched the box scoring after the match, she noted the balance in attempts to shoot by the whole team. Kelsey Mitchell had 12 (made eight), Boston 11 (made seven). Natasha Howard and Makayla Timpson were nine. Six players scored at the end of the first quarter. They collected seven assists on 11 baskets, which led to 30 assists on 40 facts.
Clark asked for a summit of 13 assists in his fifth double-double. It was his 17th career outing of 10 years. The 17 double downside doubles are tied for the fifth of all time. Courtney Vandersloot (62), Sue Bird (28), Alyssa Thomas (28), Ticha Penicheiro (18) and Natasha Cloud (17) all played at least 300 games.
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In the best performance of Indiana, Clark’s defense shone. She had four blocks and two interceptions in the crushing of the opening of the Chicago season. In a June victory against New York, she had a flight and two blocks. A few weeks earlier, she had zeros (as well as 10 reversals, which is another matter. Clark equaled her two-Basus against Dallas on Sunday.) The victory against Seattle presented a previous summit of three interceptions.
“I can be a very good defender when I choose it and when I work very hard on it, and not keep the energy,” said Clark. “(I am) proud of myself in this regard. I think it probably motivates our offense. When I bring tenacity to the defensive, I think it really helps our offense to leave. ”
Indiana is not going, and should not be an online defensive juggernaut with White’s Sun Squads. It simply should do enough to relaunch the type of offensive parts that can demoralize opponents.
Yahoo Sports Performing of the week: Alyssa Thomas, Mercury
No kah or satou, no problem for Alyssa Thomas.
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The point of view scored 29 points with 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 interceptions to lead Phoenix on the best Lynx in Minnesota in the league despite being without Kahleah Copper and Sutou Sabally.
Mercury has quietly claimed as one of the best in the WNBA while dealing with various injuries and absences. Thomas, known as “the engine”, kept them as one of the best facilitators in the league and reliable scorers. She collected on average 23 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists this week, including a victory on a point over Golden State.
Game Night of the week
On Wednesday, the last day of play before the stars weekend, is a Doozy.
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Mercury in Lynx (1 p.m. He, Pass League): The Mercury that goes up will again face the Lynx formerly dominant in another camp day match between the two powers. Phoenix won an eight-point victory despite the game without two of his three stars (or maybe it’s four?) This is the final of four games and could be necessary for an equality break at the end of the season. The Loyal Lynx, 2-1.
Liberty fever (7:30 p.m. he, CBS Sports Network): The fever makes its first visits in seven days at the Barclays Center in New York in what should be a noisy and closed counters. They divided the first two into Indiana, and these matches could also play in equality.
Also Wednesday: Dream at Sky (12 p.m.), Valkyries at Storm (3 p.m.), Aces at Wings (8 p.m.)
Power classification of the WNBA (Illustration of Sports Hassan Ahmad / Yahoo)
Yahoo Sports Power Survey
1. Phoenix Mercury (15-6)
2. New York Liberty (14-6)
3. Minnesota Lynx (19-4)
4. Golden State Valkyries (10-11)
5. Indiana fever (11-10)
6. Atlanta Dream (12-9)
7. Seattle Storm (13-9)
8. Washington Mystics (11-10)
9. AS de Las Vegas (10-11)
10. Chicago Sky (7-14)
11. Dallas Wings (6-16)
12. Los Angeles Sparks (7-14)
13. Connecticut Sun (3-18)
