Fever must avoid being Sun's savior in second game without Caitlin Clark

The Indiana Fever dropped game one with out power guard Caitlin Clark in the lineup to the Washington Mystics losing 83-77. It was announced Monday that she would miss at least two weeks due to a left quad injury, but two weeks appears to be an optimistic timeline.

Wednesday night's game wasn't the most flawless for the Fever either in most phases. New veteran pieces such as DeWanna Bonner had no problem stepping up for the squad in what turned out to be her best and most complete game in her early Fever career. But it's going to take a lot more than this for the team to see complete success in Clark's absence.

The schedule remains light for the Fever in terms of competition. The four opponents they meet without Clark in the rotation have a combined 2-12 record. Their next opponent: the winless Connecticut Sun back at home in Indianapolis.

They can't overlook the Sun, especially with the way Wednesday night's game played out. There was no rhythm whatsoever in their play. The game almost appeared like it was moving in slow motion. A player like Clark missing, who is one of the best at playing at a quick pace, can throw off the entire rhythm for a team. That's just the impact she has on whomever is on the floor with her at any given time.

The Indiana Fever can't afford to lose at home in front of a home crowd

Yes, Caitlin Clark isn't playing for the Fever, however, this game may be the biggest one of the four they'll have without her. They find themselves back home in front of their fans (not that every game doesn't feel like a home game for the Fever) and can't afford to miss an opportunity to bounce back from a poor performance a couple of days ago.

If unsuccessful, a loss to her former team can begin to create doubt amongst the fan base for head coach Stephanie White. When things aren't going well, it's easy to place blame. The players and rotations she chooses to go with, if not bringing in wins as a result, can cause fans to really question these decisions and that is not a place any coach wants to be in. The stakes are the highest this season as they have ever been for the Fever and the roster that many expected to dominate and lead has yet to play to expectations.

This, however, is a lot to expect of a practically brand-new team. After all, the players and coaches have only had a couple of months to spend time with one another and building bond and chemistry takes time to develop.

But not having a player with Clark's caliber in the rotation can really hurt them if not careful in how they make adjustments to her absence. The pressure going into Friday's match-up with the winless Sun is higher than most expected. Sometimes the win-less teams are the most dangerous and hopefully the Sun didn't catch the Fever at the right time to nab their first win.