Indiana Fever rookie guard Caitlin Clark had a really strong first half against the hosting Chicago Sky on Friday night, including an outstanding moment where she taunted the Sky fans in the crowd.
In the very funny moment, Clark went in for the layup and drew a foul that sent her to the free throw line for the and-1 attempt.
After making the layup, she went over to some Sky fans sitting by the court and playfully asked them if the basket went in before going back to the game.
I mean, that’s pretty outstanding on-the-fly trolling if you ask us. We’re sure the Sky fans and Clark had an absolute blast going back-and-forth with each other during this very competitive contest.
Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese really don’t seem all that worried about winning WNBA Rookie of the Year.
Both Indiana Fever rookie guard Caitlin Clark and Chicago Sky rookie forward Angel Reese are vying for the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year honor, but you won’t catch either of them putting it above the team.
Ahead of the superstar duo’s final regular season game in Chicago, Clark and Reese both indicated that they’re not too focused on winning Rookie of the Year as opposed to just making sure they win with their team.
“I think me and Angel would both give you the same answer,” Clark told reporters before the game, per IndySports‘ Chloe Peterson. “We don’t wake up and think about individual awards.”
Clark was right, as Reese shared the exact same sentiment.
“We don’t either care about the Rookie of the Year,” Reese told reporters, via the Chicago Tribune’s Julia Poe. “I think you guys have made it a big thing.”
Caitlin Clark when asked how fun it is to be part of the competition of the rookie of the year race:
“I think me and Angel would both give you the same answer, we don’t wake up and think about individual awards.” pic.twitter.com/n5F8cyQycv
Angel Reese echoes Caitlin Clark on the ROY debate: “We don’t either care about the Rookie of the Year. … I think you guys have made it a big thing.” pic.twitter.com/ixCxZC1IKb
Dallas Wings superstar Arike Ogunbowale hinted this week that she doesn’t buy the notion of a rivalry between the two rookie sensations, and it doesn’t seem to be quite the narrative that was assumed at the start of the season.
Clark will probably walk away with the honor after breaking so many WNBA records, but both of these players will have great WNBA careers regardless of how this award goes.
Little Angel met Big Angel, and the video is so good.
The Chicago Sky recently shared some behind-the-scenes footage of an interaction between a young fan named Angel and her favorite player, Angel Reese. Unsurprisingly, the video of Little Angel meeting Big Angel is too precious.
I’m always here for this kind of carrying-on, especially when so many good coincidences exist. For example, an Angel met another Angel. KNEE-SLAPPER. I’ll take it even further. A member of the Reese’s Pieces — the name of Reese’s fanbase — met the head Reese’s Cup while dressed in Reese’s Pieces-branded gear. DOUBLE KNEE-SLAPPER.
I make no apologies for my shenanigans, and I’m currently playing this on a loop. Little Angel taking a selfie with Big Angel and saying that meeting her was “very, very, very, very, very good” is the kind of wholesome WNBA content we need to see more of daily.
Skye the Lioness might already have beef with the WNBA’s best mascot, Ellie the Elephant.
The Chicago Sky introduced a new mascot earlier this week, and the jokes immediately started flying.
Chicago seemingly knew that its previous mascot — Sky Guy — wouldn’t cut it anymore with fans. (Sky Guy was all kinds of creepy, and, if I’m honest, he looked like The Crimson Chin. So, it was probably best to move on.) The franchise has reimagined its once underwhelming mascot and rebranded it as a blue braid-wearing lion named Skye the Lioness.
According to a team release, a lioness was chosen to embody strength, feminine power, and grace and to symbolize the courage to overcome obstacles. It’s also a solid nod to the city of Chicago, where lions serve as guardians of the Art Institute of Chicago. Skye makes her debut on Wednesday against the Washington Mystics.
Angel Reese joins Caitlin Clark as one of the most exciting young WNBA players in recent memory, but there is still room for improvement.
The Chicago Sky forward who has already made a statistical case as the best rookie in the WNBA over Clark, is massively impactful on the court. She is a genuinely phenomenal rebounder who is accomplishing statistical milestones we haven’t seen since Shaquille O’Neal.
But there are ways she can still get better, and perhaps most obviously is her ability to finish at the basket. This is currently one of the biggest flaws in her game.
She is currently shooting 46.1 percent on shots at the rim, per PBPStats, which is the lowest of anyone in the league with at least 40 attempts in that zone. It is significantly lower than the league average (54.8 percent) so far this season.
Among the 171 players who have taken as many total attempts at the rim, since 2009, only four have a lower combined field goal percentage from that area than Reese.
“What makes Reese’s lack of finishing even more problematic is that she takes so many layups, leading the league by far with 274 field goal attempts. If she were just a little bit better, then the Sky’s No. 9 offense would see dramatic improvement.
It’s also not as if Reese has a good jump shot to make up for her lack of inside game. She’s hitting only 31 percent of her midrange shots and 18 percent of her 3’s this season. There are some hopeless misses from there, too.
The good news is that Reese has a unique ability to grab her own misses to create second-chance opportunities for herself, currently leading the WNBA with 35 offensive rebounds from her own misses.
This effectively cleans up some of the mistakes caused by missing so many layups.
But for added context, the finishing ability is not a new issue for Reese.
via CBB Analytics
She shot 53.6 percent at the rim during his final collegiate season for LSU, per CBB Analytics. That ranked in the 33rd percentile among players at her position and was the lowest among the 15 players who had the most attempts within that zone.
Reese led women’s college basketball in field goal attempts (89) on putbacks last season, per CBB Analytics, so she was able to use offensive rebounds as a way to score while in the NCAA as well.
But for someone who does not space the floor, she needs to score efficiently near the rim in order to reach her full potential. Fortunately, it seems she will have a long career to improve on these areas.
If you’re bothered by Angel Reese’s WNBA rebounding record, you’re not watching closely enough.
Angel Reese has seemingly had enough people criticizing her game, and I don’t blame her.
Look, I will repeat this one for the folks in the back. Let’s say the thing: post players don’t typically get credit for their work because it’s not as electric as a logo three or an ankle-breaking crossover. They’re also not normally dishing out assists. So, their game doesn’t excite the average fan. But willfully ignoring what Reese is doing on the court is mind-boggling.
Yes, her offensive game needs some work. It’s evident that Angel is struggling for several reasons, including head coach Teresa Weatherspoon‘s inability to figure out how to space her bigs properly. (Hence, they don’t have enough operating room around the basket.) Also, Reese rushes her shot because she’s facing a ton of contact, and her bag of footwork and post moves isn’t that deep yet. That said, what we are witnessing from Angel’s rebounding and double-double streak is genuinely remarkable.
Do people suddenly think the entire WNBA just let Angel get to these numbers? No, this isn’t something you just let happen or anything you can teach. This is pure motor and an elite understanding of angles and positioning.
Then, there’s the argument that she’s stat padding and her rebounds are only from her own missed buckets. (Newsflash: they aren’t. And it’s been that way for months.) Tell me you’ve been box-scoring Angel’s games without telling me you’ve only been box-scoring Angel’s games.
As Angel indicated in a post to X (Formerly Twitter), everybody would be doing it if it were that easy. But they aren’t. And there are only so many ways we can say this woman deserves credit for what she’s doing now.
She’s got an entire offseason to get better. Everyone, RELAX.
if it was easy, everybody would be doing it. we good! #skytown
A look at how former Lady Vols performed in the WNBA on Sunday.
Four former Lady Vols competed in the WNBA on Sunday.
Dallas defeated Los Angeles, 113-110, at College Park Arena in Arlington, Texas.
Rickea Jackson stared at forward and played 37 minutes for the Sparks. She totaled 25 points, four assists, three rebounds, three blocks and two steals.
Jackson converted 9-of-15 field goal attempts, 6-of-8 three-point attempts and 1-of-1 free throw attempts.
Rae Burrell scored two points in three minutes for Los Angeles.
Las Vegas defeated Chicago, 77-75, at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois.
Diamond DeShields recorded one rebound and one assist in seven minutes for the Sky.
Isabelle Harrison played three minutes for Chicago and did not record any statistics.
The Aces had just built up what probably should’ve been an insurmountable 73-60 lead with less than five minutes to play. But Chicago and Angel Reese — who notched her third-straight game with at least 20 rebounds — just wouldn’t quit. The Sky stormed back, putting themselves in position to tie the game on their final possession.
The ball was in Chennedy Carter’s hands, and she nailed an ice-cold three-pointer to knot things up at 75 points apiece:
With Las Vegas on the verge of an epic fourth-quarter collapse, it turned to its MVP, Wilson, with just over a second remaining. She didn’t disappoint, hitting a bonkers buzzer-beater at the rim for the win:
In a WNBA season that has already provided so many classic moments and tense finishes, this might have been the very best. More importantly, it might have been a glimpse at the present (Wilson and the Aces) taking a decent punch on the chin from the future (Carter, Reese, and the Sky).
Here’s how some basketball figures reacted to Wilson’s game-winner on Twitter
Likely knowing the Las Vegas Aces would be locked into a tight battle with the Chicago Sky on Sunday afternoon, there’s no doubt that WNBA MVP favorite A’ja Wilson came to play.
With imposing rookies Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese serving as Chicago’s front line, Wilson powered through time and again, dropping 20 points, 18 rebounds, and the game-winning shot at the buzzer in a thrilling 77-75 Las Vegas victory.
At halftime, though, Wilson made it particularly clear she wasn’t messing around.
From her teammates to Sky players and the refs and coaches, Wilson seemingly called out everyone in a tense but measured exchange. Wilson even noted that she didn’t appreciate being stared down, which might have been a reference to Cardoso’s approach (five blocks) in the paint:
"Everyone has to do their job. It's from the players, to the refs, to the coaches."
Look, not everyone can talk so pointedly like that in public. You have to earn the right to critique folks, call them out, and not have everyone bristle at your thoughts. As the best player in the WNBA, Wilson certainly has, and she and the Aces responded perfectly.
