Heartbreak News: Caitlin Clark is heartbroken over the……
In front of a record-breaking Atlanta crowd, Caitlin Clark and Fever defeat Dream.
Atlanta In front of a record-breaking 17,575 spectators at State Farm Arena on Friday night, the Indiana Fever defeated the Atlanta Dream 91-79 behind the 21 points and nine rebounds of NaLyssa Smith and the 16 points and seven assists of Caitlin Clark.
Atlanta surpassed the 11,609 spectators who attended the team’s inaugural game at Philips Arena against the Detroit Shock in 2008 to set a franchise record for single-game home attendance.
Due to high demand for tickets to see Clark, the first overall pick in the draft, the game was played at the Atlanta Hawks’ home arena. The Dream’s typical home, College Park’s Gateway Center Arena, can accommodate 3,500 people.
When it was revealed that Rhyne Howard, Atlanta’s top pick in 2022, would not play because of a lower leg injury, the highly anticipated matchup took a hit.
Indiana shot 70% from the field in the first quarter to score a season-high 35 points and take a 10-point lead.
Halfway through the third quarter, Clark extended the lead to 71-60 with her fourth 3-pointer and Indiana’s tenth. It was in the midst of an 11-3 run that gave them a 79-62 lead. In the fourth, the Fever dominated.
Indiana (7-10) won its fourth straight game with 18 points from Kelsey Mitchell and 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks from Aliyah Boston. Off the bench, Katie Lou Samuelson scored ten more points.
For her 37th career 20-point game, Tina Charles led Atlanta (6-8), scoring a season-high 24 points. Haley Jones scored twelve points, and Allisha Gray added nineteen.
On August 26, State Farm Arena will host Atlanta’s subsequent home game against Indiana.
Due to a left ankle injury, Rhyne Howard of Dream is out indefinitely.
Georgia Rhyne Howard, the Dream guard, hurt her left ankle on Wednesday and is likely to be sidelined indefinitely.
The Dream stated that in the upcoming weeks, a schedule for Howard’s comeback to the field will be revealed.
For Atlanta, which is 6-7 heading into Friday’s game against the Indiana Fever, Howard is averaging 15.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 2.2 steals.
While driving to the basket in the third quarter, Howard, the 2022 top overall pick and Rookie of the Year, stepped on Minnesota Lynx guard Courtney Williams’ foot, causing an injury.
Before Friday’s game, she was getting around on a scooter with her ankle bandaged.
Howard, a two-time All-Star, is the second American 3×3 Olympic team member to sustain an injury this week during a WNBA game for the 2024 squad. Due to a torn ACL in her left knee, Los Angeles Sparks forward Cameron Brink will miss the remainder of the WNBA season as well as the Olympics.
Howard might still compete in the Olympics, which take place from July 26 to August 11, depending on how serious her injury is and how long it takes her to heal.
About what she’s told Howard, Dream coach Tanisha Wright said, “It’s part of the game, this is all part of basketball.” “A chance to kind of step back and look at the game from a different angle while still providing her teammates with encouragement and positive feedback.
There’s a reason we work as a team; we have several members who can make a significant difference in our achievement. Rhyne is undoubtedly a key player, but we also have other players who are capable of playing at a very high level.”
WNBA All-Star voting is currently led by A’ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark.
The top three WNBA All-Star early fan vote picks are A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces, Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever, and Aliyah Boston of the Indiana Fever.
In addition to Clark, who is ranked in the top 10 by fans, the other rookie is Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky.
With 217,773 votes, Wilson, the WNBA’s top scorer (27.9 points per game) and rebounder (11.3 rebounds per game), is a two-time MVP. With 216,427 votes, Clark—the 2024 No. 1 draft choice and third-ranked player in the league in assists (6.2 APG)—is in second place. Boston, the top draft pick and Rookie of the Year from the previous season, is ranked third with 171,864 votes.
Two-time MVP Breanna Stewart of the New York Liberty (151,984 votes) and Arike Ogunbowale of the Dallas Wings (130,838), who ranks second in the WNBA in scoring (25.4 PPG), complete the top five.
The next five in line for votes are Sabrina Ionescu of the Liberty (118,949), Reese (118,490), Kelsey Plum of the Aces (117,217), Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx (103,550), and Dearica Hamby of the Los Angeles Sparks (97,094).
The U.S. national team, which will play in the Olympics in Paris, will play Team WNBA in the All-Star Game on July 20 (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC) in Phoenix. On July 2, the final rosters for the All-Star Game will be revealed. The Team USA players—Wilson, Stewart, Ionescu, Plum, and Collier—are still eligible to vote for the All-Star team even though their spot in the game is already assured.
A combination of fan (50%), current WNBA player (25%) and media (25%), voting is used to select the All-Stars. Through June 29th, fans can cast daily online votes. The national team members will remain on Team USA, and the top 10 vote-getters will be announced as All-Star Game participants after the polls close.
The coaches of the league will select the remaining 12 players for Team WNBA from a group of the next 36 highest vote-getters; this group must consist of at least nine guards and fifteen post players. A coach cannot cast a vote for a player they own.
There will be a skills challenge and WNBA 3-point competition in addition to the All-Star Game. These activities are scheduled for July 19 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix.
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