Fever vs. Sky score: Indiana crushes Chicago without Caitlin Clark in first WNBA game at United Center

CHICAGO — The second matchup of the season between the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky was just as lopsided as the first, and this time devoid of drama. The Fever never trailed, as they cruised to a 79-52 victory on CBS in the first regular season WNBA game aired on primetime on broadcast TV. This was also the first WNBA game played at the famed United Center. 

After struggling in their first two games without star guard Caitlin Clark (quad strain), the Fever have now won their last two outings to get back to .500 on the season at 4-4. 

Kelsey Mitchell led the way in the scoring department with 17 points, but this was a true team effort for the Fever. Four different players scored in double figures, and seven had at least six points. They also tied their season-high with 11 3-pointers, and held the Sky to 52 points and 32.1% shooting in an elite defensive effort. 

Here are some key takeaways from the Fever’s victory.

First WNBA game at famed United Center

Look up in the rafters at the United Center and you’ll see dozens of banners honoring the Chicago Bulls. Six of them, recognizing the iconic franchise’s NBA championships, stand out among the rest. Slightly behind them, at the far end of the arena, hangs the No. 23, retired for Michael Jordan, arguably the best basketball player of all time.

The 31-year-old arena is steeped in basketball history, but until Saturday that had not included the WNBA. Due to the incredible interest in Caitlin Clark — who sat out due to a quad injury — both of the Fever’s games in Chicago this season were moved from the Sky’s usual home of Wintrust Arena to the much larger United Center, which holds over 20,000 people for basketball games.

Saturday’s contest was the first WNBA game at the United Center, a fact that was not lost on everyone involved.

“It’s an incredible moment for this league, it’s an incredible experience for our team and our staff and our city,” Sky coach Tyler Marsh said before the game. “I think that’s the cool part about it is we get to represent our city in this building on a historic night… For myself to be part of that, to represent the W in that capacity, to represent the Sky in that capacity is something that I don’t take for granted.”

McDonald impresses again in what could be final game with Fever

Aari McDonald joined the Fever earlier this week on an emergency hardship contract after the team dipped below 10 healthy players due to injuries to Clark (quad) and Sophie Cunningham (ankle). Per the terms of the hardship contract, she’ll have to be released as soon as Clark or Cunningham is healthy, but she’s made a case that she deserves a permanent roster spot — either in Indiana or elsewhere.

McDonald had seven points, five assists and three steals in her first game with the club — a win over the Washington Mystics — and followed it up with 12 points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals against the Sky. Once again, McDonald made a major impact on the defensive end with her pressure at the point of attack, and also helped create opportunities for her teammates. 

“She’s taken full advantage of the opportunity,” said acting Fever coach Austin Kelly, who stepped in for Stephanie White on Saturday. “We couldn’t be more proud of her and how she’s transitioned and taken us to another level. And allowed us to play the same way we want to play on both ends even with the absences we do have. Lot of credit to her.”

The Fever have an open roster spot because they only carried 11 players into the season, but they do not have the cap space to sign McDonald to a regular contract once her hardship contract is terminated. If they want to keep her, they would have to waive someone with an unprotected contract — Brianna Turner would be the most likely candidate — or wait until later in the season when McDonald’s pro-rated rest-of-season contract would fit into their remaining cap space ($43,006). The risk with taking the latter route is that another team may sign McDonald first. 

Vandersloot’s injury a major blow for the Sky

A few minutes into the game, the air was sucked out of the building when Courtney Vandersloot collapsed on a drive to the basket and had to be carried off the floor. The veteran point guard was almost immediately ruled out for the remainder of the game with a right knee injury. 

Sky coach Tyler Marsh did not provide an update on Vandersloot after the game, but he did speak about how much she means to the team. 

Courtney Vandersloot injury: Chicago Sky legend leaves game vs. Indiana Fever with knee injury

Jack Maloney

“She’s our engine, she’s our captain and our leader out there,” Marsh said. “Obviously it’s a huge blow. Hopefully it’s not as serious as we may think. We’re hoping that she’s able to bounce back. For the time being we all gotta pick her up, we all gotta lift her up, we all gotta lift each other up.”

Vandersloot, who spent the first 12 seasons of her career with the Sky and is the franchise’s all-time leader in games played, points, assists and steals, returned to Chicago this season in free agency to be a veteran presence for the rebuilding team. 

Entering Saturday, Vandersloot was averaging 12 points and a team-leading 6.2 assists. It’s unclear how long she’ll be sidelined, but the early reaction was not promising. As long as Vandersloot remains out, first-round pick Hailey Van Lith will step into a much bigger role.