Caitlin Clark already noticing ‘so much’ growth from Fever

INDIANAPOLIS — Caitlin Clark is rounding into form.

Clark had one of her best overall games of her young career Sunday as she scored 23 points on 7-for-11 from the field, and added nine assists and eight rebounds in the Fever’s 91-83 win over the Sky.

Gainbridge Fieldhouse was raucous from first tip to final whistle, as the Fever won consecutive games for the first time this season.

Indiana (5-10) has won four of six overall after starting the season 1-8.

Clark acknowledged that things are opening up as she gets more acclimated to her teammates and professional competition.

“I’ve had some good games and I’ve had some games that were definitely learning opportunities,” she said, noting that she is striving to “find some consistency.”

The Fever’s season opened up with a gauntlet in which they played four straight games against two of the top teams in the league, the Sun and Liberty, and had 11 games in 20 days.

“Obviously it’s been hard. It’s been a tough stretch at the beginning given the amount of games we played and the limited practices,” Clark said.

“I’m trying to get to know my teammates and the coaching staff, but I feel like I have gotten more comfortable over the course of these games. There’s still more than half a season left, and I really feel like we’ve grown so much.”

Clark has gotten a lot of attention dating back to college for her ability to drain deep 3-pointers, but her passing can be just as lethal.

Six of Clark’s nine assists went to Aliyah Boston, last season’s WNBA Rookie of the Year, as the two are starting to develop a clear cohesion.

“From the first game to now we’ve really been able to get a great feel playing with each other — knowing where I’m going to be and where she’s going to be, being able to set those screens where she can get a shot off,” Boston said. “We’re doing a great job of building that.”

Clark made another pinpoint pass to NaLyssa Smith, who put in a layup with 30 seconds remaining to give the Fever an 88-83 lead that effectively sealed the game.

“She had a great game all around,” Fever head coach Christie Sides said.