Most anticipated Indiana Fever matchups once Caitlin Clark returns

The Indiana Fever are 2-3 on the year but are still looking like the contender that was promised to all WNBA fans this offseason. Caitlin Clark may be out in the short term with a quad injury, but the long-term ceiling for the Fever is exciting.

The additions of Sophie Cunningham and Natasha Howard are already paying off, and the reliable duo of Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark are picking up right where they left off during the 2024 season. 

Indiana has plenty of action left against teams of interest this season, even after facing the Liberty to begin their year. Let’s look at the 5 most anticipated matchups for the Fever that fans should be keying in on as Clark readies her return.

Indiana Fever at Atlanta Dream (June 10)

The Fever have played some instant regular-season classics against the Atlanta Dream this season. Both teams are at interesting points in their respective journeys towards contention. The Dream are being led by established stars in Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray and have added Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones to their frontcourt this offseason.

The Fever, again, took decent swings this offseason in order to shore up their offense and front court, as well. 

Atlanta and Indiana could very well end up being a postseason matchup, so that’s one reason why this game should be appointment viewing. The other? This will be Indiana’s third Commissioner’s Cup game, and by then, we should know more or less where they’re falling in those standings. This game could make or break their push towards the Cup. 

Indiana Fever vs. New York Liberty (June 14)

Another instant classic happened between these two teams in May, with the Liberty just sneaking by the Fever by two points to claim victory on the road. Natasha Cloud, the Liberty’s big offseason acquisition, helped to hold Clark to just 2-10 shooting from deep en route to a victory, and got the game-sealing steal off Clark as well. 

So, look for this game to be a bit spicier as the Fever try to avenge the loss that dropped them to 2-2 and kept New York undefeated by that point. This is also a Commissioner’s Cup game, so it holds extra weight as Indiana will be continuing their push to appear in the Cup’s championship game for the first time in franchise history. 

Indiana Fever at Las Vegas Aces (June 22)

This will be the Fever’s first game against the Aces on the year. Las Vegas is not a team to ever mess with, especially as they roster reigning MVP A’ja Wilson. This is going to be a great matchup between Wilson and Boston, and it’ll be an interesting battle of the guards between Jewell Loyd and Chelsea Gray for the Aces and Clark and Kelsey Mitchell. 

The Aces are always going to be considered contenders with their core of Wilson, Gray, Loyd, and Jackie Young, so this is another test for Indiana early on in the year. 

Indiana Fever at Seattle Storm (June 24)

Same logic for the Fever here as the Storm are another great test for Clark and the rest of Indiana. Seattle is a team full of elite defensive players, and specifically, they roster a defensively-minded backcourt of Gabby Williams and Skylar Diggins.

These two can throw some trouble Clark’s way on defense, so this is a good test to see how the rest of Indiana can step up to both get themselves going on offense and to get Clark easy looks off Williams and Diggins. 

Diggins and Clark, by this point, should also be touching more or less the same assist numbers. So, that’s another metric to watch for in this contest. 

Indiana Fever at Dallas Wings (June 27)

Everyone loves a battle between two number one overall picks, and that’s what this game could be if Clark is healthy and back with the Fever to face off with Paige Bueckers and the Wings. Dallas is in a completely different spot than Indiana this season, as they’re still finding their groove on offense with Arike Ogunbowale and Bueckers leading the charge. 

Still, this is a fun guard matchup between Bueckers and Clark, with both having been such highly touted prospects heading into the league. 

Indiana Fever vs. Minnesota Lynx (August 22)

This is a very late in the season game between the Fever and Lynx, but it’ll somehow be their first time meeting each other in the 2025 regular season. Minnesota is once again looking Finals bound, so it’ll be fun to see how Indiana matches up their frontcourt with the Lynx’s led by Napheesa Collier - a definite MVP candidate. 

These games down the stretch are going to be crucial for the Fever and their postseason seeding. We can assume that the top two teams in the league will be the Liberty and Lynx, when things are all said and done and presuming both of those teams stay healthy. But, Indiana should be on their heels. Games like this will probably be the difference between a 3 seed or a 5 seed in such a competitive league in 2025. 

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