The Dallas Wings’ honeymoon period with their rookies is effectively over. The Wings had seen a recent resurgence after digging a hole for themselves at the beginning of the season. The three talented rookies, Aziaha James, JJ Quinerly, and Paige Bueckers, led the comeback because of their injury crisis. Those three have played more minutes than they would have expected in their last few games. That combination started well, but that rookie intensity can only be sustained for so long, quickly unraveling in the past 2 games.
The Wings fell by a whopping 30 points against the Phoenix Mercury, losing every quarter along the way. After a thorough beating, they travelled to Chicago, where the Wings replicated their performance against the Phoenix, this time losing by 11 points. They were back to their old ways in these past games, suffering the same kind of defensive lapses and leaking very easily. Now, Chris Koclanes and Co. face another heavy-scoring team in the Indiana Fever, and the coach detailed how they will patch those defensive issues for the game on Sunday.
Chris Koclanes told the media, “We’ve got to take some pride one-on-one and step up, uh, just have an edge and intensity about us, right? Two games in a row on the road, where offenses have been extremely comfortable. So, it starts with our individual approach and in making the offense feel us.”
With a severely depleted roster, the Dallas Wings’ fitness and stamina are being pushed to their limits. They’ve been operating with just 8 to 9 active players over the past several games, and the physical toll is starting to show. The situation has been compounded by recent back-to-back road games, with three more away fixtures coming up in quick succession. Defensively, the team has struggled all season, none of their current players rank in the top 50 for individual defensive rating.
While they’ve managed to compensate with intensity and confidence, that approach is unsustainable over the long haul. Coach Chris Koclanes and his staff will need to implement a more cohesive and balanced system on both ends of the floor to stabilize the team moving forward. Koclanes further explained how they will approach the individual battles in the upcoming game against the Fever.
He said, “And then as far as our coverages go, um, just try to mix it up. You’re playing against elite guards and Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell. Uh, so you’ve got to give them different looks to keep them off balance.”
Clark’s return from injury has not been a fairytale one like the last. She has been limited in terms of minutes and points in the two games after her 5-game absence. Clark has lacked that accuracy from the floor, showing her struggles with her injury and her form. Even then, she has continued her job as a floor general, assisting 15 in the last two games while also chipping in with 9 rebounds. Mitchell, on the other hand, has covered for Clark’s scoring struggles, averaging 19.2 points this season even after her disappointing start. Her form is sublime, scoring 25+ points in three of the last five games.
And Clark’s engine is bound to be back and running sometime or the other. Dallas is one of the best when the opposition majorly scores from the paint, conceding a least 33.8 points per game. So, Clark and Mitchell, who are elite outside shooters on their day, are their biggest threats. They also concede 13.7 fast break points per game, and Clark can easily exploit that flaw with her long passes. The Dallas defense will be heavily tested once again, and they will hope to shut them down with intensity and edge. Clark’s shooting has been off in the past few games, but she remains the first player the opponents are wary of. And she showed glimpses of her brilliance in their last game against the Dream.
Slowly But Surely, Caitlin Clark is Getting Her Mojo Back
Caitlin Clark stumbled on the ground in her first game back from injury. And it was a literal stumble from the point guard, as in a play that seemed routine, Clark tried to apply defensive pressure and gave a slight push. But what happened next was unexpected: she lost her balance and fell to the floor without anyone touching her. She seemed to have tripped because of the defender’s leg, but that was representative of her and Fever’s night. They lost 80-61 against the Valkyries, while Clark had a disappointing night, scoring 10 points while giving 6 assists with a 4-for-12 effort from the floor.
Their next game was better on many fronts. The team dominated the Atlanta Dream and ended up with a 99-82 win. Clark also had a better performance with 12 points, 9 assists, and 4 rebounds in her 26 minutes on the court. Clark is yet to recover from her shooting slump as she went 1 for 7 from three-point land, but the game was an overall improvement. Even in a rough patch, she showed glimpses of brilliance throughout the game.
In the fourth quarter, with the Fever holding a double-digit lead over the Dream, Clark showed off her defensive prowess with a big stop against Dream guard Jordin Canada and managed to come away with the ball for a fast break. Clark then dribbled down the court, picked her head up, and found teammate Aliyah Boston with an effortless lob inside, who finished the easy layup.
if anyone needed a reminder this is what it looks like when you let caitlin clark play her game pic.twitter.com/dVU323yYMC
— cc akgae (@clrkszn) July 12, 2025
Even with some of these highlights, it was a limited display as Clark was seen dealing with lingering pain from her groin injury throughout the game. After a long break, one tends to be sore after such an intense physical game. She said that the feeling was good “for the most part” after the game. She mentioned that “it’s been very on-and-off” in the recent weeks. Clark needs some continuity for her to be back at her best.
Clark may still be limited in her current impact, but her performance showed plenty of encouraging signs. That should give the Dallas Wings something to think about and provide a boost of confidence for the Fever heading into Sunday’s matchup. On the other side, Paige Bueckers has been in strong form, scoring 15 or more points in three of her last five games. With rising rookies, shifting team dynamics, and momentum on the line, this clash promises compelling storylines both on and off the court.
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