Fever's Sophie Cunningham continues scorching hot play with Caitlin Clark injured

Billy Heyen

Fever's Sophie Cunningham continues scorching hot play with Caitlin Clark injured image

Sophie Cunningham is on the most efficient run of her WNBA career, and it has come at a crucial time.

The Indiana Fever don't have Caitlin Clark, yet they're on a five-game winning streak anyway. That's in large part thanks to the improvement in Cunningham's play over the past two weeks.

The offseason addition had been solid but not exceptional in the early going, and then she dealt with an injury.

Lately, though, Cunningham is hooping to the peak of her ability.

In Sunday's four-point win over the Storm, Cunningham finished with 17 points, five rebounds and two assists. She made 5-of-6 shots, including 4-for-5 from 3, and went 3-for-4 at the foul line.

In her last three games, Cunningham is 12-for-17 from the field, including 5-for-9 from 3.

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If we go back six games, Cunningham is 22-for-36 from the floor and 14-for-27 from beyond the arc.

It's just a brilliant run for the former Missouri star.

She spent every season of her WNBA career before this one with the Phoenix Mercury, but her popularity has soared this season as a teammate of Clark.

It doesn't hurt that she's now filling it up in such a blistering way.

Cunningham isn't a high-usage player, and especially once Clark comes back, that's a crucial thing. She doesn't need the basketball in her hands to make things happen.

Right now, all she needs is a sliver of an opening and she's knocking the shot down.

If that keeps up, the Fever will remain quite dangerous. Cunningham is locked in, and it's exactly what Indiana needs.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle