Caitlin Clark finally gets her wish in clash with her longtime friend

The stars have finally aligned, and Caitlin Clark has found herself back with another chance to play against her best friend Kate Martin. And this time, Martin is sure to guard Clark at some point like the reigning Rookie of the Year asked for in September when Kate was still a member of the Las Vegas Aces.

Unfortunately, Martin didn't play that game. The Aces played the Fever back-to-back, and Kate didn't log minutes either time. But new year, new team.

The 5-6 Valkyries are coming off a loss, so they'll be locked in. Defense is their calling card, and they'll be motivated. We also know how fiery Caitlin is rolling out of bed in the morning, so it won't be all sunshine and rainbows for these competitors, but Clark made sure to give a friendly hello to her former Iowa teammate anyway.

It's all smiles before tip-off, but when the lights get bright, the battle is on, and the Fever have high aspirations this season. They're favored to win this game by 11 points, but Golden State has overachieved all season, so they'll need their A game.

The Valkyries will bring the physicality to the Fever

It's a good thing the Fever are used to walking into crazed environments because the fans show up for their team in San Francisco. It's going to be loud, and they feed off that energy as well as anyone else in the league. Their head coach, Natalie Nakase, came from the Las Vegas Aces, and their identity is defense. It's led them to the best start for an expansion team in WNBA history.

Coach Nakase spoke before the game and was asked about her strategy for defending Indy's superstar. Her answer gives you insight into their mentality as a team.

Clark missed time, and this team slipped. That's why Indiana is only one game ahead of the Valkyries in the standings right now, but that doesn't account for the wins Golden State has in that column. They've defeated teams like the Mystics, Aces, and the Storm.

As far as Clark's wish, she'll get it. Martin has logged minutes in every game this season. That won't change with a compromised roster due to the Eurobasket departures. The Bay City ball club lost several players to the overseas competition.

When teams are lacking skill, they up their physicality. That's not anything this team isn't used to, but the blueprint is clear and the Fever are entering the territory of an enemy that thrives in that style. Again, the Fever should win this game. They're favored by double-digits. But apparently, anything can happen in Balhalla.