Angel Reese’s Chicago Sky defeats Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever in front of star-studded crowd in Chicago

CNN
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Angel Reese’s Chicago Sky defeated Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever 88-87 on Sunday in front of a star-studded crowd at the Wintrust Arena.

WNBA Hall of Famer Sheryl Swoopes, New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson, rappers Chance the Rapper and Lil Durk and actor Jason Sudeikis were all in attendance in Chicago to watch the third meeting of the two teams this season.

Clark and the Fever had won the previous two meetings, but it proved to be third time lucky for the Sky who prevailed in a tense game.

Reese had a dominant outing, finishing with a career-high 25 points and 16 rebounds to extend her WNBA rookie record double-double streak to eight straight games, becoming the third player in league history to reach that mark joining Sylvia Fowles and Candace Parker.

“This is what I do: I come out and perform,” Reese told reporters afterwards, per ESPN. “I do what it takes to win every single day.”

Clark also had a strong performance, scoring 17 points and dishing out 13 assists.

USA Today’s Nancy Armour described the atmosphere as “electric … the kind of energy this city hasn’t seen for a professional basketball game since the Jordan years.”

In the two previous meetings between the Sky and the Fever this WNBA season, the hard-fought nature of the action has been the main talking point.

In both games, Clark has been on the end of flagrant fouls, first from Chennedy Carter and then from Reese. But Sunday’s game was played largely without incident.

It began with a tight first half, with seven ties and eight lead changes. However, the Fever built up a 15-point lead midway through the third quarter, only for the Sky to race back and tie the game at 82 with three minutes left.

With the score tied at 84 with just under a minute left, Reese made a driving layup to put Chicago up by two. The Sky would hold on to the lead to get their sixth win of the season.

Reese top scored for Chicago, while she was aided by Carter’s 23 points. For Indiana, Kelsey Mitchell recorded a team-high 24 points with reigning Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston adding 18 points.

The 22-year-old Reese became the first rookie in Sky franchise history with 20 or more points and 15 or more rebounds in a game while Clark set her own piece of history, becoming the first rookie in WNBA history with 15+ points, 10+ assists and 5+ three pointers made in a game.

Clark and Reese’s rivalry has been well-documented ever since their high-profile clash in the 2023 NCAA championship game.

“It’s good for the game, good for women’s basketball, but also good for women’s sports,” Reese said of the crowd, per ESPN. “You see NBA players, rappers, legends that played in the league for a great long time come out and show support. You know everybody’s watching right now.

“I think this is one of the most important times right now, and we just continue to keep putting on. I think both teams tonight did an amazing job putting on a show. It was fun. I had a great time, I’m sure the other team had a great time.”

The victory means the Sky improve to 6-9 on the season while the defeat ends Indiana’s four-game winning streak and sees them slip to 7-11.

Chicago sits eighth in the WNBA standings while the Fever sit one place behind them in ninth.