Caitlin Clark leads Indiana Fever to fourth straight WNBA win (2024)

Another sold out arena and a commanding fourth straight win for Indiana Fever, with Caitlin Clark brilliant once more against Atlanta Dream.

All in all, it was a perfect Friday night - and quite the warning shot to Chicago Sky and Angel Reese ahead of Sunday's blockbuster showdown in Illinois.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about their dominant 79-91 victory was that, as good as she was, Clark - who scored 16 points, with seven assists and four rebounds - didn't need to be at her electrifying best until the the third quarter.

There, with Atlanta slashing a 15-point deficit to eight, Clark craftilymaneuvered a run all the way down the right for two. She then sank a simply breathtaking three-pointer out of nowhere, with three Dream players looming over here.

Moments later, when another three pointer clattered off the rim, it felt like State Farm's roof was about to come off. But the lead had returned to 14, and Clark's burst mercilessly swept away any momentum Atlanta was building.

Overall, she showed her prowess in flashes and was as good as she needed to be when her team required it on a night where she also became the third-fastest player in WNBA history to reach 100 assists.

Not that this lively 17,000 crowd would have felt like they didn't get a show.

In the first, Clark found Kristy Wallace with a bullet of a diagonal pass across court, who rounded it out with three points from the courter.

Clark raised the roof with two booming three-pointers of her own in the second quarter, the second coming from a sharp steal by Erica Walker. After reclaiming the ball, she duly found Clark with all the room she needed to pick her spot from wide left. She doesn't miss those.

Just as it felt like Clark was hitting top speed, she was penalized for traveling - a call met with one collective groan from the crowd who were desperate to see WNBA's new star shine every time she was on the ball.

Fever led by 16 at the halftime break, eventually winning with a margin of 12. It takes the Fever to 7-10 for the season as the Dream slip to 7-7.

In the hours before tipoff, it was a convivial atmosphere in the streets of downtown Atlanta.

There were as many Fever and Iowa 'Clark 22' jerseys at Centennial Olympic Park as there were of Argentina 'Messi 10' shirts basking in the 90 degree sunshine. It was a scene that just a few months ago would have seemed scarcely believable.

The night before, soccer's ultimate star was in town, leading Argentina to a 2-0 win against Canada in the Copa America - likely his final international tournament.

But as one historic sporting legacy was hitting its final straight at the 70,000-seater stadium that looms over State Farm Arena, Clark was gearing up for just the 17th instalment of her WNBA career and this sensational new dawn for the women's game.

Yet again, it was another stadium switch - the Dream moved the game to home of the Hawks instead of the usual 3,500 Gateway Center Arena. Come gameday, it was a sellout with Clark's presence again meaning Indiana could make themselves feel at home as they cruised to victory.

'It’s fun going to all these new cities as a rookie and getting to play in front of their crowds,' Clark beamed afterwards. 'And a lot of people spent a lot of time and money to come watch our team and enjoy the experience and because we’re playing great basketball, a lot of them are going to come back. That's a good thing.'

But next up for the Fever is the trip to Chicago on Sunday, where it will surely be a complete opposite to the atmosphere in Atlanta.

With Reese and Carter lying in wait, Indiana will be walking into the lion's den to try and extend this winning streak to five.

Play like this though, and the Sky won't be the limit.