The New York Liberty look eminently comfortable as the final boss of women’s basketball. The Indiana Fever are eager to reclaim buzz as Caitlin Clark approaches her return. One day after Indianapolis hosts Game 4 of the NBA Finals, these two WNBA crowd-drawers face off on broadcast television.
How to watch New York Liberty at Indiana Fever
ABC is also available over the air with a broadcast antenna and can be streamed on ESPN+.
Hyperbole is high in stock these days, and we’re only a quarter of the way through the season, but it’s fair to say that Sandy Brondello’s squad is off to the single best WNBA championship defense of all time. Let’s marinate on this brain-wrinkling excellence:
On defense, the Liberty handily lead the pack in points allowed, steals and blocks. The W’s top six players by defensive rating all rock seafoam green. On offense, they are No. 1 in points per game and shooting efficiency. All of this amid one of the deepest talent pools in league history.
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To top it off, New York has an absurd net rating of plus-23.4. For comparison, the 9-1 Minnesota Lynx rank second right now at plus-10.9. Last year’s Liberty finished at plus-11.7. The 2023 champion Las Vegas Aces, who set regular-season records and lost just one game all playoffs, were a plus-15.6.
The high-water mark for most wins to start a season belongs to the 2016 Minnesota Lynx, who came out of the gate at 13-0. Maya Moore and company are on watch.
Indiana hosts Saturday’s showdown at just 4-5, stalled by injuries to Clark (quadriceps) and Sophie Cunningham (ankle). Both players are expected to return against the Liberty.
Stephanie White’s group has run into some wonky luck besides those absences. Basketball Reference has their expected win-loss mark at 6-3. Three of their five Ls were one-possession stingers, including the frenetic 90-88 matchup with the Liberty last month. Clark got hurt at the end of that game and hasn’t suited up since.
Clark is the supernova that powers Indy’s offense, but Aliyah Boston has been superb so far. She’s up to a career-best 65 percent on 2-pointers, and ranks in the top 10 in offensive rebounding for the third straight year. Boston holds down the second-ranked defense on the inside, and the perimeter has held opponents to a league-worst 28.3 percent on 3s. This team becomes truly dangerous if Clark returns in form.
Saturday is leg four of five for the Eastern Conference side of the Commissioner’s Cup. New York closes out against Atlanta on Tuesday, while Indiana faces Connecticut.
Best player to wear both jerseys: Natasha Howard. The three-time WNBA champ and 2019 Defensive Player of the Year now wears Fever threads, but she had a 2022 All-Star bid with the Liberty.
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(Photo of Caitlin Clark and Breanna Stewart: Andy Lyons / Getty Images)
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