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WNBA power rankings: 'Tenacity' on defense key for Indiana Fever squad looking to rise with Caitlin Clark back in the fold

The first professional clash of Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers lived up to the hype. But it was more of an enticing lead-in to what the future head-to-head competitions hold for these two Naismith winners, rather than a close contest of counterpunches.

For as much fun as it is to watch them individually, their teams aren’t at the same level to make this an equal matchup. The main differentiator between the two was as clear after the Indiana Fever’s runaway 19-point victory as it was before the point guards took the court.

Clark is aided by a front office that invested heavily following back-to-back No. 1 draft picks in 2023 and 2024. Bueckers is the foundational piece in a field of building blocks the Dallas Wings organization hasn’t pieced together yet. Closing in on the All-Star break, the Wings (6-16) are five games back of a playoff spot. The Fever (11-10), while inconsistent, are still capable of breaking into the top four.

If they’re to do that, they need more of what they saw from Clark on Sunday, which was more than just the points, 3s and even assists with which she dazzles fans.

The data: Five steals, matching a career-high. (Most came off Bueckers, who tied a career high with four turnovers.) One block, tying 6-foot-5 center Aliyah Boston’s game total. Seven deflections, according to head coach Stephanie White.

After the 102-83 win on Sunday that closed a 2-0 homestand, White praised Clark’s defensive vision and ability to stay disciplined with hands in the passing lane to tip and steal, rather than bite on a defender and need help.

“That’s what it’s going to take from her consistently,” White said. “She’s got to be able to bring the offense and the defense on the other end of the floor. And she’s continued to grow in that area throughout the course of the season. And for us to accomplish the things that we want to accomplish, she’s got to take more pride in that.”

White came from coaching an elite Connecticut Sun defense ranked first in scoring and top-three in steals. Defense was how they won games. In Indiana, it’s more than limiting the opponent's output. It has to be an offensive strategy, and a winning one that led to a Fever feast on the Wings.

“For us to play in transition, we’ve got to lock in on the defensive end,” White said.

That fast-paced offense in which Clark thrives needs a starting point. It’s typically defensive rebounds, tipped passes and steals. Because, for as much as Clark is known for her logo 3s, she’s exquisite at 50-foot-plus passes on a dime:

And this:

One more look (seriously, this touchdown pass over the outstretched hand of Myisha Hines-Allen is absurd):

Clark hasn’t quite broken out of a shooting slump that’s hampered her second WNBA season, a potential result of injuries (hamstring, quad) that also limited her availability. She hasn’t cracked two 3s in a game since June 17 against Connecticut, and only eclipsed 30% shooting from range once in that span.

“I feel like I’m a couple shots away from having a really good game,” Clark said.

The beauty of her talent, and that of those around her, is that she doesn’t always need them to fall. The Fever scored the most points in a first half (64) of any team this season for a 22-point halftime lead.

As Clark looked down the box score after the game, she noted the balance in shot attempts by the entire team. Kelsey Mitchell had 12 (made eight), Boston 11 (made seven). Natasha Howard and Makayla Timpson had nine each. Six players scored by the end of the first quarter. They had seven assists on 11 baskets, leading to 30 total assists on 40 made baskets.

Clark dished a season-high 13 assists in her fifth double-double. It was her 17th career 10-assist outing. The 17 point-assist double-doubles are tied for fifth all-time. Courtney Vandersloot (62), Sue Bird (28), Alyssa Thomas (28), Ticha Penicheiro (18) and Natasha Cloud (17) have all played at least 300 games.

In Indiana’s best performances, Clark’s defense shone. She had four blocks and two steals in the season-opening crushing of Chicago. In a June win over New York, she had one steal and two blocks. Weeks prior, she had zeros (as well as 10 turnovers, which is another matter entirely. Clark tied her season-low two against Dallas on Sunday.) The win over Seattle featured a previous-high three steals.

“I can be a really good defender when I choose to and when I work really hard on it, and not conserve energy,” Clark said. “[I’m] proud of myself in that regard. I think that probably motivates our offense. When I bring a tenacity on the defensive end, I think it really helps our offense go.”

Indiana isn’t going to, nor should it, be a defensive juggernaut in line with White’s Sun squads. It merely needs to do enough to jump-start the type of offensive plays that can demoralize opponents.

Yahoo Sports performer of the week: Alyssa Thomas, Mercury

No Kah or Satou, no problem for Alyssa Thomas.

The point-forward scored 29 points with 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals to lead Phoenix over the league-best Minnesota Lynx despite being without Kahleah Copper and Satou Sabally.

The Mercury have quietly made their claim as one of the WNBA’s best while dealing with various injuries and absences. Thomas, known as “The Engine,” has kept them going as one of the league’s best facilitators and reliable scorers. She averaged 23 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists this week, including a one-point win over Golden State.

Game Night of the week

Wednesday, the final day of play before All-Star weekend, is a doozy.

Mercury at Lynx (1 p.m. ET, League Pass): The surging Mercury face the formerly dominant Lynx again in another camp day game between the two powerhouses. Phoenix is coming off an eight-point victory despite playing without two of its three stars (or maybe it’s now four?) It’s the final of four matchups and could be needed for a tiebreaker at season’s end. The Lynx lead, 2-1.

Fever at Liberty (7:30 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network): The Fever make their first of two visits in seven days to New York’s Barclays Center in what should be a raucous, sold-out environment. They split the first two in Indiana, and these games could also play into tiebreakers.

Also on Wednesday: Dream at Sky (12 p.m.), Valkyries at Storm (3 p.m.), Aces at Wings (8 p.m.)

WNBA power rankings (Hassan Ahmad/Yahoo Sports illustration)

Yahoo Sports power poll

1. Phoenix Mercury (15-6)
2. New York Liberty (14-6)
3. Minnesota Lynx (19-4)
4. Golden State Valkyries (10-11)
5. Indiana Fever (11-10)
6. Atlanta Dream (12-9)
7. Seattle Storm (13-9)
8. Washington Mystics (11-10)
9. Las Vegas Aces (10-11)
10. Chicago Sky (7-14)
11. Dallas Wings (6-16)
12. Los Angeles Sparks (7-14)
13. Connecticut Sun (3-18)

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