INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark was assessed her seventh technical foul of the season in Wednesday’s 123-88 victory over the Connecticut Sun, and is now one game away from a WNBA-mandated one-game suspension. Clark finished with 27 points and 11 assists as the Fever set a franchise record in points in the win.
“I can’t predict the future,” Clark said when asked after the game if she thinks a suspension is inevitable. “You gotta ask the Magic 8 Ball.”
Clark and Sun guard Saniya Rivers were given double technical fouls during a dustup at the end of the third quarter. After Clark was fouled by Sun center Olivia Nelson-Ododa, Rivers waved her arm at Clark as she expressed displeasure with the foul call. In response, Clark yelled in Rivers’ direction.
“She said she was locking me up, so I said, ‘Scoreboard!’” Clark said as she explained her kerfuffle with Rivers. “The ref didn’t like that.”
Clark has now received technical fouls in back-to-back games after being assessed her sixth technical foul in a win over the New York Liberty last week. Asked at Monday’s practice if she needed to change her behavior with how close she is to a suspension, Clark simply said, “No.”
Clark’s 27 Pts, 11 Ast help Fever set team record with 123 Pts in blowout
Clark changed her tune Wednesday, acknowledging that being suspended could be detrimental to her team. The limit for technical fouls in a WNBA season is eight before a player is suspended for one game. A player is then suspended for one game every time they receive two more technical fouls.
Clark’s seven technical fouls through the Fever’s first 27 games this season have her on pace to be suspended for two games.
“I’m never gonna back down,” Clark said. “… That intensity and that fire is what makes me, me. But also knowing that my team needs me and finding a good balance of that. But I don’t think I’m gonna be playing with that in the back of my head. I think that may hinder my play a little bit.”
The Fever have typically appealed Clark’s technical fouls, but if this one is not rescinded, she’ll remain tied with Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese for the most in the league. Fever coach Stephanie White said after the win that Clark must be smart moving forward so she can remain available for her team, a point the coach has emphasized all year.
White, however, didn’t dismiss the possibility of Clark missing time.
“She has awareness about it. We’ll try to help her when we can, but sometimes we can’t,” White said before injecting a bit of sarcasm. “If she wants to be strategic about what games she doesn’t want to play, then she’ll let ‘er fly.”
Clark, who has been managing a back injury all season, had her minutes restriction lifted Wednesday. She responded by drilling her first five 3-point attempts and notching 21 points and seven assists in 17 first-half minutes. The three-time All-Star added six points and four assists while playing the entire third quarter to notch her 16th game with at least 20 points and 10 assists, extending her WNBA record.
“She’s got that ‘it factor,’” White said of Clark. “… She can heat up in a hurry. She doesn’t need a lot of time. She doesn’t need a lot of space. And when she’s on balance, you always think it’s gonna go in. I just think that she’s playing really great basketball.”
Fellow Fever All-Stars Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston chipped in with 23 and 22 points, respectively. Mitchell has now scored 20 points in 11 straight games, extending her franchise record.
Indiana, powered by its big three, won five of its last six games entering the All-Star break, and has climbed to fifth place in the WNBA standings, one game back of the fourth-place Dallas Wings. The top four teams receive home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
“The way in which you love the game, you pour into the game, you want it to show love to you back,” Mitchell said. “I think that we’ve done a decent job lately as far as keeping ourselves committed to the grind and committed to what Steph has set for us. But more importantly, I think momentum going into our second half of our season is really big for us.”
