Indiana
Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston, Christie Sides vent frustration after Fever fall to 1-7
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INDIANAPOLIS – Christie Sides, her voice hoarse, was short and to the point after the Indiana Fever lost 88-82 to the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday.
She was frustrated about her squad’s 3-point defense in the second half. She was frustrated about the Fever’s 26 personal fouls. She was frustrated about some Indiana players spending “too much” time talking to game officials.
More: Opponents guard Caitlin Clark between free throws. She still scored 30 points.
Takeaways: Caitlin Clark scores career-high 30 points, but Fever lose to LA, fall to 1-7
Most of all, she was frustrated about the Fever’s seventh loss out of eight games this season.
“It’s really hard to feel good about the performance at all right now,” Sides said. “This is a home game, this is a game we were supposed to win.”
Although Sides got what she wanted in terms of forced turnovers (19 to 14), offensive rebounds (9 to 4) and points off turnovers (24 to 20), it wasn’t good enough to secure a second victory in five days against Los Angeles, and that’s what mattered to her.
For a near six-minute stretch between the end of the second quarter and the start of the third, the Fever went on a 14-0 run to gain a 43-37 advantage against the Sparks. Gainbridge Fieldhouse was rocking, and Indiana looked perhaps more cohesive than it had all season.
However, Los Angeles went on to hit 10 of its 14 3-pointers in the following 14-plus minutes of play.
“You don’t give yourself a chance … You can’t do something right for two and a half quarters and then just stop doing it,” Sides said. “ … We were going under some of the screens that were supposed to be going over. We were gambling and getting out of position.
“ … Instead of us stepping over and stopping them (and) having our teammates’ back, we’re reaching. That’s just a lack of discipline.”
Caitlin Clark sat behind the same press room table less than 10 minutes earlier with her forehead pressed against her microphone. Despite recording a WNBA career-high 30 points, she too was more concerned about the loss.
Clark said she felt like Indiana shot themselves in the foot on defense in the fourth quarter, mostly agreeing with Sides’ assessment of the late-game run by the Sparks. But Clark does feel her defense has improved through the first eight games of the season, acknowledging the criticism she has faced about that aspect of her game since joining the WNBA.
“It’s been a crazy journey,” Clark said. “ … The biggest adjustment and transition for myself is (that) you got to learn from every single game and then try to go and implement it the next day in a walkthrough and then you play the next game the day after that.”
Aliyah Boston felt the Fever did a solid job defending the 3-pointer aside from the fourth quarter, but she did acknowledge the broken coverage due to screens set by the Sparks. However, she seemed to hint at feeling like the game’s officials were not giving each team equal treatment when it came to foul calls.
“Sometimes I get certain calls on my positioning, and I was trying to ask some questions about (Los Angeles),” Boston said. “They were doing the same thing, and I was trying to figure out how sometimes I get those calls and we don’t. You’re battling, and it gets frustrating when there’s certain things for you.”
Clark was called for a technical foul late in the first quarter, and while the reasoning was initially unclear for those not on the court, Sides said after the game it came down to the Fever’s excessive chatter toward the officials. She offered up herself as the one who should be talking to the officials — the one who should be in a position to earn a technical foul.
Sparks guard Aari McDonald was awarded free throws after the foul, and between the two shots, she initially appeared to get in Clark’s face to offer a retort for the technical. However, Clark disputed this, saying McDonald had just accidentally forgotten about her second free throw and was attempting to return to her defensive assignment.
“Kind person, honestly,” Clark said about McDonald, who finished with a season-best 21 points.
Clark was later fouled by McDonald on a 3-point attempt, a call that was ultimately ruled a flagrant. By the time the final buzzer sounded, Clark went 13-of-15 from the free throw line.
Although Clark was insistent she expected the physicality that comes with professional basketball, she suggested she should have been awarded more attempts from the charity stripe against Los Angeles.
“I think everybody’s physical with me,” Clark said. “They get away with things that probably other people don’t get away with. It’s tough, but the fact of the matter is this is a very physical game.”
While the Fever ultimately fell to the one team they have beaten this season, they’ll stay in Gainbridge Fieldhouse for what could be a more challenging matchup Thursday. Indiana is set to face the Seattle Storm (4-3), a squad that previously topped the Fever 85-83 out west.
Clark feels the key to future victories for the Fever must come in the form of preventing long scoring runs, such as the crucial 28-8 second half stretch that may have cost them against the Sparks.
“That seems to be an issue for us, we can never really stop the bleeding,” Clark said, “and it’s just too much to come back from.”
Contact Kyle Smedley via email at KSmedley@Gannett.com or via X @KyleSmedley_.
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Indiana
Indiana unemployment sees another slight increase – Inside INdiana Business
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Indiana’s unemployment rate hit 3.7% in May, up one-tenth of a percent from the previous month. The Indiana Department of Workforce Development said Tuesday that the state added 3,400 private sector jobs over April.
May’s unemployment rate marked the second consecutive month-over-month increase.
The DWD said Indiana’s total private employment stands at 2,850,400. The state primarily saw job gains in the trade, transportation and utilities; professional and business services; construction; financial activities; and leisure and hospitality sectors.
The state’s labor force participation rate fell one-tenth of a percent to 62.4%, which remains slight below the national rate of 62.5%. The labor force, which includes residents who are either employed or seeking employment, stands at 3,377,185, down nearly 1,700 from the previous month.
The DWD said the state had 98,693 open job postings as of June 17, while 19,458 unemployment insurance claims were filed as of the week ending May 25.
The state’s unemployment rate is lower than the national rate, which also rose one-tenth of a percent to 4% in May.
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Indiana
Indiana State Museum to offer an adult summer camp
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INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Hoosiers can get ready for an eventful Adult Summer Camp hosted by Indiana State Museum on July 12 from 7-9 p.m.
The program is inspired by the new exhibit, Good Night Forest. The nature-inspired exhibit debuted June 8 and features hand drawn illustrations from local artist, Penelope Dullaghan.
Museum goers can enjoy outdoor activities such as archery, axe throwing, bubble bowling and an obstacle course. Activities are not limited to outdoors; visitors can also make friendship bracelets and tie-dye bandanas.
The museum’s galleries will be open for guided after-hours tours and nighttime stargazing.
This program is open to visitors 21 and older. Tickets are $45 for non-members, with a 10% discount for Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites members. Each ticket will include admission to the museum, access to all activities, snacks and one drink ticket.
Space for the summer camp is limited, tickets are available at IndianaMuseum.org.
Indiana
What the latest 2024 NBA Draft mock drafts say the Indiana Pacers will do
![What the latest 2024 NBA Draft mock drafts say the Indiana Pacers will do](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_2550,h_1434,x_0,y_498/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/all_pacers/01j11mem8t2pr84r1t7f.jpg)
INDIANAPOLIS — The 2024 NBA Draft is in just two days, and the Indiana Pacers have one of the most interesting setups in the league. They have three picks, more than 23 other teams, but all of their selections come in the second round. It will be difficult to manage that reality.
The Pacers top pick comes at 36th overall, then at 49 and 50. Indiana traded their first-round selections for Pascal Siakam, but now they are more limited in the upcoming draft, which spans two days.
“There will always be good NBA players that come out of every single draft,” Pacers VP of player personnel Ryan Carr said last week. “It’s our job to figure out who those guys are and get them on our team.”
Carr shared that his team always prepares the same way every year regardless of what picks they have. They’ll be ready come Wednesday and will try to get the best player they can at 36. General manager Chad Buchanan discussed the draft earlier in the offseason.
Who might that best player be at 36? And who else could the Pacers pick this week? Recent mock drafts have some overlapping names.
Yahoo Sports (Krysten Peek)
The Athletic (Sam Vecenie
)
ESPN (Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo)
The Ringer (Kevin O’Connor)
The NBA Draft starts on Wednesday night and ends Thursday evening. It’s a two-day event this year for the first time.
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