NY Liberty vs. Indiana Fever preview: Libs get first look at Caitlin Clark
Photo by Elsa/Getty Images
The Liberty get a first hand look at the Caitlin Clark experience tonight in Indianapolis. That was a workout. The New York Liberty hit the road to begin the 2024 season, and the Washington Mystics gave them everything they could handle. Ultimately, the Liberty’s depth and perseverance won out as they held on for an 85-80 Opening Night victory.
If you thought all eyes were on the Liberty, then WHOA BUDDY! The sports world has descended on to the Indiana Fever and everyone’s watching their every move. They opened the season with a tough matchup against the perpetually excellent Connecticut Sun, and CT took care of business with a 92-71 victory. Caitlin Clark had 20 points but 10 turnovers. More on her next game down below.
Where to follow the game
Amazon Prime for everybody. MY9 and the YES App for us. Tip after 7 PM.
Injuries
All clear for the Liberty.
No Damiris Dantas tonight for
The game
If Sandy Brondello says it once, she’ll say it a million times. Turnovers, turnovers, TURNOVERS! The Liberty coughed it up 18 times, but fortunately for them, only five after halftime. You can’t afford to give the ball away, and with a team that has the firepower on offense that Indiana has, you’re tempting fate if you play sloppy basketball. When the Liberty take great care of the ball, they can make life hell on the Fever as they did last year
Preview for the Indiana Fever vs New York LibertyThe Liberty went 4-0 in this matchup last seasonI can’t wait for these 2 games pic.twitter.com/ukSgNdcot2— Taka Kauri (@takamaikauri) May 16, 2024
I feel like by the end of the weekend, the state of Indiana will be (even more) sick of New York. The Liberty and Fever begin a home-and-home set this evening, and tomorrow night, the Indiana Pacers try to save their season against the hated New York Knicks in the NBA playoffs. Should be a fun weekend.
We’ll get to the matchup everyone is hyped for in a minute, but the battle at center is going to be pretty fascinating in its own right. Jonquel Jones was the Liberty’s best player on Tuesday night as her 27 points and eight rebounds kept the Liberty in it. Brondello has mentioned that JJ looks better than ever, and if that’s the case, watch out. She’s at full strength and is further away from the foot fracture she suffered in the 2022 Finals. With Jones fully activated on both sides of the ball, the Liberty go from excellent to potentially historic. She’ll have the matchup against one of the best young players in basketball. Aliyah Boston had a magnificent 2023 as she was the unanimous Rookie of the Year as well as an All Star. She struggled against the Sun as their size proved to be a bit too much for her, but she’s a quick learner and is able to bounce back in a hurry. For Jones and the Liberty, staying out of foul trouble is job number one. Boston is a matchup nightmare and having Jones guarding her and drawing her out to the perimeter on the offensive end can help limit her impact.
If NaLyssa Smith has the ball, chances are she’s looking to score. Smith led the Fever in usage rate last season and with all the focus on Indiana’s big stars, she’ll have plenty of chances to find offense for herself. She’ll look to press the issue against Breanna Stewart. Stew York had a slow start to 2024 on Tuesday as she only scored eight points on 3-9 shooting in 31 minutes. The great thing about this Liberty team is they have more than enough star power to withstand an off night from the MVP, and with Kennedy Burke providing great minutes as the backup forward, the team can put less on Stewart’s shoulders throughout the regular season.
Player to watch: Caitlin Clark
Welcome to the future. Women's basketball in college and the pros have been on an upswing in recent years, and Clark enters the pro game looking to push things into the stratosphere. How’s she doing on that front?
Caitlin Clark's WNBA debut was the league's most-watched game in decades.While the star suffered a blowout loss, it was a massive win for the WNBA and ESPN, says @mgfleming12 ⬇️— Front Office Sports (@FOS) May 16, 2024
Well alright! In addition, teams across the league have moved Fever games to larger arenas to accommodate the fan interest Clark is generating. Amazon is also doing a pregame show, which I don't recall them doing for any games besides the Commissioner’s Cup last season.
There have been so many big picture conversations surrounding Clark, so I won’t spend too much time on it here and will instead let Ari Chambers’ words speak for themselves:
“It’s our job as media and talking heads to spread the history and show that it’s super rich. Dating back to Title IX, varsity sports, the ABL and the WNBA in its infancy — those players had to push past boundaries and major roadblocks just to get mainstream attention. We can’t erase that.
“Caitlin is the beneficiary of all the hard work of the previous legends. I want people to know that that everything you see now, they’re privileged enough to be the beneficiaries of those who are doing the groundwork. Caitlin is an integral piece of continuing to build that.”
The game has always been fun, and it's great that the league’s TV partners have decided to get serious and take things to a new level. Keep it up.
On the court, it was a rough pro debut for the number one pick as her ten turnovers made for a long evening for her and the Fever. And when you turn it over that many times, you need to get back in the lab
A main topic of discussion from Caitlin Clark's official WNBA debut was her 10 turnovers. For SportsCenter, here's what Clark and Christie Sides had to say last night about that issue. pic.twitter.com/jcFwtTmsMq— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) May 15, 2024
It doesn’t get any easier from here, but she’ll be ready for it.
Who gets the Clark assignment? The smart money is on the Liberty's best perimeter defender, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton. Bee continues to do everything well for the Liberty and her clutch defense and timely buckets on Opening Night powered New York to the finish line. Laney-Hamilton fills in every gap for this team and connects everything together for Sandy Brondello’s club. We might also see Marquesha Davis get a crack at guarding Clark. The Liberty’s rookie was the only player who didn’t play on Tuesday night, so getting her a chance to defend Clark and speed her up could make for a nice change of pace.
You know you’re doing something right when a 15/8/7/1/2 night doesn’t register as a particularly great game. That’s where Sabrina Ionescu found herself on Tuesday evening as she didn’t have her greatest, but did help seal the deal with four clutch free throws towards the end of the night. One thing from Tuesday that stood out was we saw Ionescu drive to the basket a bit more than what we’re used to. That was something Liberty GM Jonathan Kolb mentioned during exit interviews last year, and the Liberty are at their best when they’re attacking the basket and not settling for jumpers. Against a Fever team that was porous on defense last year, those rim attempts will be there for New York.
From the Vault
Everyone has a game where they were like, "Holy crap, Caitlin is amazing!" Here's mine
More reading: Indiana Fever Blog, Swish Appeal, The Strickland, The Local W, New York Daily News, New York Post, The Athletic. Fansided, Just Women’s Sports, SI All Knicks, Winsidr, Her Hoop Stats, CBS Sports, and The Next
New York Liberty Game Notes - New York Liberty
Welcome to Billionaire Club Co LLC, your gateway to a brand-new social media experience! Sign up today and dive into over 10,000 fresh daily articles and videos curated just for your enjoyment. Enjoy the ad free experience, unlimited content interactions, and get that coveted blue check verification—all for just $1 a month!
Account Frozen
Your account is frozen. You can still view content but cannot interact with it.
Please go to your settings to update your account status.
Open Profile Settings