Indiana Fever star and rookie darling Caitlin Clark might have wished she’d just stayed home with a bowl of popcorn last night. The Fever took a punch (literally) in an 86-75 loss to the Las Vegas Aces, where Clark found herself in a battle both on and off the court. Her shooting? Well, let’s just say the rim wasn’t in her favor, with a dismal 27% from the field. The numbers looked more like a random lottery pick than the player Fever fans are used to: 16 points, six assists, and three rebounds. Not exactly the “Clark show” everyone bought tickets for.
But the highlight—or lowlight—of the night? That honor goes to the third quarter when Aces guard Jackie Young accidentally elbowed Clark in the face, leaving her grimacing in pain like she’d just bit into a ghost pepper. Expecting a little referee sympathy, Clark did what we all would—she dramatically pleaded for a Flagrant 1 foul. The result? Crickets. No whistle. No penalty. Just a smirk from the refs as the game went on like nothing happened. Safe to say, Clark was not amused.
Politics & Hoops: A Slam Dunk or Airball?
It’s not just basketball that’s been tripping up Clark lately. Off the court, the internet went wild after she liked a certain post by none other than America’s sweetheart, Taylor Swift. Swift had thrown her support behind Vice President Kamala Harris for the upcoming presidential election, and Clark’s digital thumbs-up? Well, that sent fans into a frenzy faster than a Taylor Swift concert ticket drop.
Before anyone could even yell “Flagrant!” Clark quickly clarified she wasn’t diving headfirst into politics—just a casual like, folks. But as it turns out, even a tap on a social media post can cause enough controversy to make dribbling under pressure seem like a cakewalk. Fans have now made Clark’s Twitter feed a battleground for political opinions, which is exactly what every athlete dreams of, right?
Fever Dreams of Winning Again
With this loss marking the Fever’s third defeat since the WNBA’s Paris Olympics break, it seems the team is having a tough time shaking off that post-vacation blues. Their post-break record now stands at 8-3, not terrible, but not great. Still, with a season record of 19-18, Indiana Fever is clutching onto their playoff hopes like Clark clutched her face after that elbow. Just three games left—time to step it up or settle for watching the postseason from their couches.
Meanwhile, over on the Aces bench, A’ja Wilson was busy doing anything but slumping. Wilson broke the WNBA’s single-season scoring record, zooming past Jewell Lloyd’s mark and averaging 27.3 points per game. She’s on pace to be the first player to break 1,000 points in a single season. No big deal, right? Just rewriting the WNBA record books while sipping Gatorade.
As Clark and the Fever regroup, they’ll need to shake off the physical and mental bruises. With her face and her focus both taking hits, one can only hope Clark dials back the social media interactions and puts all her energy into getting those shooting percentages back up where they belong.
Can Clark and the Fever rise above their setbacks? Stay tuned, sports fans—because this rookie’s season is far from over.
