Caitlin Clark Hits ‘Groove’ as Fever Head into FIBA World Cup Break: Takeaways

There’s no question that Caitlin Clark is currently playing the best basketball of her WNBA career. This was on display once again in an Indiana Fever win over the Connecticut Sun Friday, with Clark registering 34 points and 12 assists.

Perhaps no numbers better put into perspective the level the Fever star is playing at than her points and assist totals. The victory over the Sun made her the first player in WNBA history to record at least 30 points and 10 assists in back-to-back games. It was also her fifth such game this season and the sixth of her career. The rest of WNBA history has four combined.

She also has 22 total games of 20 points and 10 assists, 12 this season. Courtney Vandersloot has the second most with 10, and she is in her 16th season.

Clark is also shooting the ball more efficiently than she ever has before. She was 12-19 from the floor against Connecticut and 6-12 from deep.

“I feel like I’m finding my groove a little bit,” she said after the game.

That’s certainly fair to say.

Of course, Clark is not doing it alone, Kelsey Mitchell continues to light up the scoreboard as well. Mitchell scored 34 points, and it somehow felt quiet. That’s a compliment to her and how casually she can get buckets.

Clark and Makayla Timpson Combination Shines

Clark and Mitchell aren’t the only combination clicking for the Fever.

“She’s shooting the ball well, giving great assists, just being her overall. That’s my GOAT right here,” forward Makayla Timpson said of Clark after the game against Connecticut.

And Clark reciprocated the praise when I asked her how Timpson is helping her assist totals.

“I think KK [Timpson] has done a tremendous job of running the floor, she’s a great cutter in the half-court. She’s become so good at just getting it and going straight up right away. She finishes through contact well. It’s impressive the steps she’s taken over the course of the last two months, and even since All-Star,” Clark said.

“Like I said, she’s just scratching the surface. That’s where I like a lot of my assists, just rim assists, easy lay-ins for my teammates. A lot of time I don’t even think we’re playing in pick and roll much. It’s a lot in transition, it’s a lot off of cutting. The more we can do that, the more time we get to play with each other you get better feel for the game. You get a better feel for each other. But she’s doing an amazing job and it’s really added a whole other element to our offense,” she added.

Timpson finished with 10 points and 8 rebounds and Indiana has excelled since she entered the starting lineup.

FIBA World Cup Break Arrives

It will be a while before the Fever play another game. Clark and Aliyah Boston are part of Team USA and will travel to Berlin to play in the FIBA World Cup, while coach Stephanie White is a member of the staff.

But the team itself doesn’t take the floor again until September 18 in Toronto versus the Tempo. The good news is they passed the Atlanta Dream in the standings with the win over the Sun, meaning they will control their chance to secure home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs when play resumes.

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