Tuesday night, former Iowa teammates Caitlin Clark and Kate Martin will meet for the second time in their WNBA careers. The Indiana Fever travel to T-Mobile Arena for a showdown with the Las Vegas Aces.
Las Vegas won the first matchup on May 25, cruising to a 99-80 blowout win over Indiana. A'ja Wilson was dominant in that outing, finishing the night with 29 points and 15 rebounds. Jackie Young dropped 22 points and Kelsey Plum scored 20 and dished out seven assists.
Martin gave the Aces great production off the bench, scoring 12 points and collecting seven rebounds in 22 minutes.
Clark struggled in her first matchup against the two-time defending WNBA champions back in May. She ended her night with eight points, seven assists and five rebounds. The Fever were led by Kelsey Mitchel, who had 16 points.
What can we expect to see in the second matchup between the two teams?
- What: Indiana Fever (8-12, 4th in East) vs. Las Vegas Aces (10-6, 3rd in West)
- When: Tuesday, July 2 at 9:30 p.m. ET
- Where: T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. (18,000 capacity)
- TV: ESPN
- Announcers: Pam Ward (play-by-play); Debbie Antonelli (analyst); Angel Gray (reporter)
- Radio: SiriusXM channel 81
- Previous meeting: Las Vegas defeated Indiana 99-80 on May 25.
- Spread: Las Vegas is a 13-point favorite against Indiana, according to FanDuel
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Leading scorers
Indiana Fever
- G Kelsey Mitchell: 16.3 ppg; 1.9 rpg; 1.9 apg; 39.7% 3-pt FG
- G Caitlin Clark: 16.2 ppg; 6.9 apg; 5.7 rpg; 34.6% 3-pt FG
- F Aliyah Boston: 13.1 ppg; 8.3 rpg; 2.8 apg; 49.1% FG
- F NaLyssa Smith: 11.8 ppg; 7.5 rpg; 1.1 bpg; 50.3% FG
Las Vegas Aces
- C A'ja Wilson: 26.9 ppg; 11.1 rpg; 2.3 bpg; 51.1% FG
- G Jackie Young: 18.9 ppg; 5.4 apg; 4.7 rpg; 44% FG
- G Kelsey Plum: 17.3 ppg; 5.1 apg; 2.0 rpg; 38.1% FG
- G Tiffany Hayes: 8.9 ppg; 3.0 rpg; 1.9 apg; 43.3% FG
Christie Sides, Indiana Fever: Sides is in her second year as the coach of the Fever in 2024. When she was named the team's leader ahead of the 2023 campaign, it marked the first time in her career that she's been named a head coach. Prior to last season, Sides was an assistant coach at various levels, including high school, college and the WNBA. At the college level, Sides had stops at Louisiana Tech (2002-04), LSU (2004-07), Northwestern (2016-17) and Louisiana-Monroe (2019-22). In the WNBA, Sides was an assistant coach for the Chicago Sky (2011-16), Fever (2017-19) and Atlanta Dream (2022). In her first season with Indiana, the Fever finished with a 13-27 record.
Becky Hammon, Las Vegas Aces: Hammon is in her third season as the coach of the Aces, leading Las Vegas to back-to-back WNBA titles in 2022 and 2023. She's not only regarded as one of the best basketball minds in women's basketball, but in the entire sport. Hammon enjoyed a 16-year WNBA career, playing for the New York Liberty and San Antonio Stars and was a six-time All-Star. Following her playing career, Hammon jumped right into coaching, working for Gregg Popovich as an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs from 2014-21. She was named the coach of the Aces in 2022. Las Vegas posted a 60-16 record in her first two seasons at the helm.
Last 5 games
Indiana Fever
- Sunday, June 30: Defeated Phoenix Mercury 88-82
- Thursday, June 23: Lost to Seattle Storm 89-77
- Sunday, June 23: Lost to Chicago Sky 88-87
- Friday, June 21: Defeated Atlanta Dream 91-79
- Wednesday, June 19: Defeated Washington Mystics 88-81
Las Vegas Aces
- Saturday, June 29: Defeated Washington Mystics 88-77
- Thursday, June 27: Defeated Chicago Sky 95-83
- Friday, June 21: Defeated Connecticut Sun 85-74
- Wednesday, June 19: Defeated Seattle Storm 94-83
- Saturday, June 15: Lost to New York Liberty 90-82
Clark and Martin enjoyed plenty of success while at Iowa, winning three Big Ten Tournament championships and reaching the National Championship Game in back-to-back seasons in 2023 and 2024. Their college connection adds intrigue to the Fever-Aces matchup.
Martin got the best of Clark in the first meeting, finishing the game in May with more points and rebounds than her former Iowa teammate. The Aces also got the win on their home court.
Over the last month, though, the Fever have found some momentum. The chemistry between Clark, Boston and the rest of the team seems to be coming together. Indiana has won five of its last seven contests, a huge improvement after a rocky start to the year.
Las Vegas is on a bit of a streak of its own, having won each of its last four games, all by double figures.
Can Fever slow down Wilson?
Slowing down Wilson, a two-time league MVP, is almost impossible. She was dominant in the Aces' first game against the Fever, scoring 29 points and collecting 15 rebounds. The two-time WNBA champion is also averaging a double-double and shooting better than 50% from the floor.
Indiana will try to slow Wilson down with the post presence of Boston and Smith.
Boston has reached a double-digit scoring total in each of her last nine games, while Smith has accomplished the same feat in her last seven contests. But finding that same level of success will be difficult against one of the league's top players on Tuesday.
