INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever finally got the break they needed this week.
Now everyone’s ready to see if four days off will help change their results.
Despite Clark’s selection as WNBA’s rookie of the month for May, she and her new teammates have dealt with all kinds of frustrations — a brutally challenging schedule, limited practice time and the rookie’s seemingly league-wide unwelcoming committee.
Clark’s biggest fans and the Fever’s most loyal supporters might not have anticipated such a rough start for the WNBA’s highest-profile rookie in years, but the chance to relax, recharge and regroup might be just what everyone needed.
“I think honestly just getting away from basketball, getting some sleep, taking care of my body,” Clark said, explaining what she did on her two off days before returning to a rare practice Wednesday. “I play the point guard spot, like I haven’t gotten a lot of practice time with my team and that’s really hard, trying to navigate an offense and you’ve haven’t had much practice time together.”
Boston took care of business in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, defeating the Dallas Mavericks, 107-89, in front of its home crowd. It was in control for nearly the entire game, with Kristaps Porzingis’s return proving to be pivotal. The big man had 11 points and two blocks in the first quarter to help the Celtics take a 37-20 through the first 12 minutes.
The Celtics extended their lead to as much as 29 in the second quarter as Porzingis continued to perform well on both ends, finishing the half with 18 points. But the Mavericks slowly chipped into the Celtics’ lead, making it a 21-point game at halftime before making it an eight-point game with less than five minutes left in the third quarter.
