Kevin's Watch

Clark, Collier draft All-Star teams, flip coaches

All three Indiana Fever All-Stars will be on the same team for the WNBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis on July 19. The rosters, as chosen by captains Caitlin Clark of the Fever and Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx, were announced Tuesday.

Clark and Collier, the two leading vote-getters in fan balloting, first drafted from the eight remaining starters then filled out their teams picking from the 12 reserves. They also made one trade: swapping head coaches.

Minnesota's Cheryl Reeve initially was assigned to guide Team Clark, since the coach of the team with the league's best record as of July 3 went to the player with the most votes. The New York Liberty's Sandy Brondello, coach of the team with the second-best record at that point, was originally assigned to Team Collier. But since Reeve is Collier's coach with the Lynx, the captains opted to switch coaches.

Clark chose both her Fever teammates available in the roster draft: forward/center Aliyah Boston (pick No. 1) and guard Kelsey Mitchell (pick No. 10). Rounding out Team Clark's starters, along with herself and Boston, are Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (pick No. 3), three-time WNBA MVP center A'ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces (No. 5) and Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally (No. 7).

Team Clark's reserves were headed by Mitchell then Seattle Storm forward Gabby Williams (pick No. 12), Washington Mystics guard Sonia Citron (No. 14) and forward Kiki Iriafen (No. 16), Aces guard Jackie Young (No. 18) and Golden State Valkyries forward Kayla Thornton (No. 20).

Collier chose her former UConn and USA Basketball teammate, Liberty forward Breanna Stewart, with the second pick. The rest of Team Collier's starters are Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray (pick No. 4), Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike (No. 6) and Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (No. 8]

Fever's Caitlin Clark expects to return from injury on Wed.


Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark said she expects to return to action on Wednesday against the Golden State Valkyries after missing the past five games with a left groin injury.

Clark participated in the 5-on-5 portion of practice on Monday for the first time since she suffered the injury on June 24 -- a crucial step in her getting cleared to return. Barring any setbacks over the next 24 hours, she'll be available to play.

It's nice to get back out there and get back into the flow of playing with my teammates again," Clark told reporters at practice Tuesday. "It's going to be fun to get back out there hopefully and just feel things again.

"It's obviously hard sitting out and watching for a few weeks, so I'm excited to get out there."

While Clark was out, the Fever went 3-2, including a victory against the Minnesota Lynx in the championship game of the WNBA Commissioner's Cup.

It was Clark's second injury of the season, as she has missed 10 of the Fever's 18 games this season. She also missed five games last month due to a left quad injury.

Clark, who has expressed her dislike for minutes restrictions, said she doesn't know what her workload will be against the Valkyries on Wednesday.

"I hope to play a decent amount -- in the upper 20s. I guess it depends on how the game goes and how I feel and what the team needs," Clark said. "But I feel pretty good. But I'm going to try to not overdo it and put myself in a good position moving forward."

Clark had 32 points in 31 minutes against the New York Liberty when she returned from her quad injury on June 14. She cooled over the next four games, however, averaging 14 points per contest.

For the season, Clark is averaging 18.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 8.9 assists.

Her return comes with five games remaining until the All-Star break, with that game to be played in Indianapolis with Clark serving as a team captain. She and Napheesa Collier, the other captain, will make their team selections on Tuesday night.

Wings move potential Clark-Bueckers matchup to Mavericks' arena

DALLAS -- The Dallas Wings will try again showcasing a Caitlin Clark-Paige Bueckers matchup at the home of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks.

The Wings said Monday the club is moving the Aug. 1 game against Clark and the Indiana Fever to American Airlines Center.

What was supposed to be the first matchup of the past two No. 1 picks in the WNBA draft was held at the AAC on June 27. Clark missed the Fever's 94-86 victory due to a groin injury. Bueckers scored 27 points, the second-highest total of her rookie season.

If Clark returns this week from the groin injury that has sidelined her the past five games, the first meeting with Bueckers could come Sunday at Indianapolis.

Despite Clark's absence last month, the Wings' first game at the home of the Mavs drew 20,409 fans. It was the eighth regular-season game in WNBA history to draw at least 20,000.

Included in the crowd were nine-time NBA All-Star Kyrie Irving of the Mavericks, star Dallas Cowboys pass rusher Micah Parsons and Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft by the Mavericks last month.

The Wings normally play at the 7,000-seat College Park Center on the Texas-Arlington campus, about 20 miles from downtown Dallas. The Wings, who relocated in 2016 from Tulsa, Oklahoma, are planning to move into a renovated arena at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas in the next year or two.