How to watch Caitlin Clark and Indiana Fever vs. Atlanta Dream in WNBA preseason game

Caitlin Clark will make her WNBA home debut for the Indiana Fever against the Atlanta Dream in their final preseason game on Thursday, May 9.

The game is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. EST and will be broadcast on WNBA League Pass. Fans wishing to watch this WNBA game can do so for free by using DirecTV Stream to access WNBA League Pass, which offers a free trial.

• WATCH THE GAME FOR FREE HERE

Gainbridge Fieldhouse will be a near-capacity crowd of up to 17,000 as the WNBA’s No. 1 overall draft pick makes her home debut against Atlanta. It’s a moment Fever fans have been dreaming of since winning the lottery in December and only came true in mid-April. Clark has what it takes to become the next big rock star in Indianapolis. She will make her WNBA regular season debut against the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday, May 14.

• Related: Caitlin Clark Indiana Fever WNBA Jersey, T-Shirts and Other Gear: Where to Buy Online

WHO: Indiana Fever vs. Atlanta Dream

When: Thursday, May 9 at 7 p.m. ET

Or: Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN

Flow: DirecTV Stream and WNBA League Pass

Tickets: StubHub and *VividSeats*

• New customers who purchase tickets through VividSeats Can Get $20 Off Ticket Order Over $200 using promo code MassLive20 at checkout.*

Gear: Shop jerseys, shirts, hats, hoodies and more at Fanatics.com. Fanatics also offers a sportsbook.

Sports Betting Promos: WNBA fans can bet online at Massachusetts sportsbooks with enticing promo codes from top online sports betting sites like Fanatics. Use FanDuel Massachusetts promo code and DraftKings Massachusetts promo code for massive bonuses for new users.

RELATED CONTENT:

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Caitlin Clark spent Wednesday practicing in an empty Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

On Thursday night, Indianapolis’ new revolutionary rock star will be greeted by a raucous, near-sellout crowd of 17,000 who believe the WNBA’s No. 1 overall pick can instantly change the fortunes of the Indiana Fever.

A little more than a month after leading Iowa to its second straight NCAA championship game, Clark will make his Fever home debut in a preseason game against the Atlanta Dream.

“People really know who I am,” Clark said Wednesday. “Sometimes it’s hard to go out and do what I want to do, but at the same time, I wouldn’t have it any other way. This is the best way to develop women’s basketball. It’s the best way to get these fans excited about what we’re going to do here, so I think people are just as excited as we are to play here. So I think more than anything, enjoy it, soak it up.

Clark’s mere presence has already made a difference. In the preseason opener Friday night in Dallas, she scored a team-high 21 points in a 79-76 loss to another near sellout. The Fever will have 36 of its 40 games televised nationally and its regular season debut on May 14 in Connecticut will be the first sporting event broadcast live on Disney+.

Closer to home, the Fever will open the third deck of their arena rather than having seating only on the lower two decks. The change means Indiana could draw more than 17,000 fans to a preseason game that was moved up a day because of the NBA playoffs. The Indiana Pacers will host the New York Knicks in Game 3 of their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals Friday night.

Fever officials did not say Wednesday how many tickets were still available, only that there were a limited number. And yet, they could still have a packed house for the most anticipated home debut for an Indiana athlete since Peyton Manning or Andrew Luck.

For Clark, playing in front of a full arena has become the norm. For her teammates and coaches, this could be the start of something bigger than they could have imagined.

“This is what women’s basketball has always been about,” said 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston. “I think it’s really cool that fans follow their favorite players from college to the league because that’s how we continue to grow.”

Especially when it comes to a generational type player like Clark, who has fully embraced her new hometown.

“Honestly, I expect a lot of people to be here, I expect it to be loud, I expect the fans to be really involved,” Clark said. “Like I know these fans are going to show up and they know what’s going to happen on the field. I think sometimes you can show up at arenas and they just sit there. But like when I was in college, they were invested, they know what’s going on.

“I think it’s the same thing in the state of Indiana, the people who support the Fever, who support the Pacers, are invested. So they will applaud, they will attack the referees.

___

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

The Associated Press contributed to this article