What's at stake in the final Indiana Fever-Chicago Sky game? - ESPN

It's Caitlin Clark vs. Angel Reese, Part 4, and this time, the stakes have never been higher. The rookie sensations meet Friday for the final time in the 2024 regular season when the Chicago Sky host the Indiana Fever at Wintrust Arena (7:30 p.m. ET, ION).

If the first three games of this series were any indication, Friday should be tight — the previous contests were decided by a combined 10 points, with Indiana winning the first two (71-70, 91-83) and Chicago taking the third (88-87).

A lot has also changed for both teams since those three games in June, though: Indiana has found its groove offensively behind its big three of Clark, Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston, and looks poised to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2016. The Fever are 15-16 on the season, just a half-game back of the sixth seed.

Chicago's identity meanwhile has continued to crystallize around rookie bigs Reese and Kamilla Cardoso and guard Chennedy Carter. But the Sky are 1-5 since returning from the Olympic break, putting them 3½ games behind Indiana at 11-19 overall.

If the season ended today, Chicago would be the final team in the playoffs as the eighth seed. With postseason berths on the line, Friday's game will be crucial for both teams but especially the Sky, as after recent win streaks, the Atlanta Dream (10-20), Washington Mystics (9-22) and Dallas Wings (8-22) could vie for the final playoff spot.

Defeating the surging Fever will instill confidence that the Sky are still a playoff team.

Let's break down how the Sky and Fever enter the big matchup and what to expect from both teams.

After going into the Olympic break with a resounding win over the Las Vegas Aces, the Sky couldn't return with the same energy and have won just