WNBA READY FOR THE SPOTLIGHT WITH ALL-STAR GAME IN INDIANA THIS WEEKEND
NEW YORK (AP) — The WNBA finishes off the first half of its season this week before heading into the All-Star break in Indiana, which will be a showcase for young star Caitlin Clark.
The Fever have three all-stars with Clark, Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell all playing in the game Saturday. Clark, who is one of the captains, took both her Indiana teammates for her team in the game.
Before Saturday’s contest, the Fever have a busy week with back-to-back games, first in Boston against Connecticut and then in New York on Wednesday.
Indiana is trying to get some momentum heading into the break as they are just over .500 heading into Tuesday night’s game.
Minnesota, led by the other All-Star captain, Napheesa Collier, has the best record in the league at 19-4. The Lynx played four games in six days over a stretch they went 2-2. They have one more game against second-place Phoenix on Wednesday before heading into the break.
Sidelined
Atlanta’s Rhyne Howard will be sidelined for the rest of the month with a left knee injury she picked up against Indiana. Howard earned her third All-Star nod earlier this month and was drafted by Team Collier. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert named Minnesota’s Kayla McBride as Howard’s replacement on Tuesday afternoon. It’s McBride’s fifth All-Star appearance.
Howard is expected to make a full recovery and a timeline for her return will be provided at a later date, the Dream said.
Strong ratings
ABC had its most watched WNBA game ever on Saturday when Paige Bueckers and Dallas faced Clark and Indiana. The Fever won in a blowout in the first pro matchup between the two star guards. The game averaged 2.1 million viewers.
Record breaker
Naz Hillmon played in her 128th straight game, setting an Atlanta franchise record by passing Iziane Castro Marques’ mark of 127. Natisha Heidman of Minnesota has the longest active streak with 199 consecutive games played. Dawn Staley holds the league record with 263.
Power poll rankings
Phoenix moved up to the No. 1 spot, passing Minnesota after beating the Lynx last week. The Mercury haven’t been in the top spot since 2018. The Lynx were second and New York was third. Atlanta, Indiana and Seattle followed the Liberty. Washington moved up two spots to seventh with Golden State and Las Vegas next. Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas and Connecticut rounded out the poll.
Player of the week
Alyssa Thomas of Phoenix averaged 23 points, eight assists and seven rebounds to help the Mercury win both their games last week. Other players receiving votes were Shakira Austin of Washington and Angel Reese of Chicago.
Game of the week
Team Clark vs. Team Collier, Saturday. The league’s All-Star Game will take place Saturday in Indianapolis and Clark will surely want to put on a show for her hometown fans.
CAITLIN CLARK LEAVES WITH INJURY LATE IN THE FEVER’S 85-77 VICTORY OVER THE SUN
BOSTON (AP) — Caitlin Clark went to the bench with an apparent leg injury in the final minute of the Indiana Fever’s 85-77 victory over the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday night.
Natasha Howard scored 18 points with 13 rebounds in front of a sold-out crowd of 19,156 at the home of the Boston Celtics and Bruins.
Clark struggled during the game, scoring 14 points on 4 for 14 shooting, and walked off the court at the end crying and clutching her right leg. Clark missed five games recently and five others earlier in the season with left leg injuries.
Tina Charles scored 21 points with 11 rebounds for the Sun, who fell to 3-19 for the season — the worst record in the WNBA.
EXPANSION WNBA TEAM BRINGS BACK THE ORIGINAL PORTLAND FIRE NAME
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon’s WNBA team stepped back in time for its new name, reintroducing the Portland Fire.
The expansion franchise, which begins play next next season along with the Toronto Tempo, announced its name and branding on Tuesday — reviving the moniker of the city’s previous WNBA team that played from 2000 to 2002.
“Our feeling is that the fire never died,” interim Fire president Clare Hamill said. “Fans have been waiting for us to come back, and we’re back with the Portland Fire.”
In addition to the name, the team has a new “Rose on Fire” logo and a color palette of red, brown, blue and pink.
Portland Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft who died in 2018, was chairman of the original Fire and the two teams played at the Rose Garden, now the Moda Center.
The NBA owned the WNBA teams until 2002, then sold them to affiliated NBA teams or independent owners. Allen declined to buy the Fire and the team folded.
Portland was awarded a new WNBA team last September. The team is run by Raj Sports, led by Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal, who also own the Portland Thorns of the National Women’s Soccer League. They paid $125 million for the WNBA franchise.
The Fire and the Thorns will share a new joint-training facility in the first such partnership between the two women’s leagues.
The Fire already have sold more than 11,000 season tickets, surpassing the WNBA’s previous best. The team will play at the Moda Center, where the original Fire averaged some 8,000 fans a game.
But the launch of the team hasn’t been smooth.
Indications that the team planned to return to the Fire name were previously revealed when a local publication, the Rose Garden Report, published the team’s trademark application.
The team’s president, Inky Son, parted ways with the team late last month after less than three months on the job. Son was announced as the first employee of the team in early April, tasked with leading all aspects of the business, including marketing, ticket and sponsorship sales, and community relations.
The Toronto Tempo, meanwhile, announced a team name back in December and already have hired a general manager.
Hamill, a former Nike executive, took over for Son until a permanent president can be found. She said the launch of the team name and logo is just a slice of what the team is activating on Tuesday.
“We’re pointing everybody to the launch and the pace at which we’re moving, and just giving everyone confidence that we have our arms around it,” Hamill said. “We’re moving fast, and you’re going to hear from us a lot.”
The team planned to celebrate the name and logo launch with a community party on Tuesday afternoon at the Moda Center.
