Hard target
Clark blatantly shoved in Fever victory
Caitlin Clark has faced plenty of physical defenses early in her WNBA career.
On Saturday afternoon, as she and the Indiana Fever won a 71-70 thriller over the Chicago Sky at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, she took umbrage with one particular hard foul.
After Chennedy Carter made a basket for the Sky with 15.1 seconds left in the third quarter, she quickly went to defend Clark, who was looking for an inbound pass.
But before Clark could receive any pass, she was knocked down to the floor by a shoulder check from Carter, who was immediately whistled for a foul.
Clark sank one free throw on the other end before the quarter concluded, and when the horn sounded, she was interviewed by ESPN and asked about a conversation she had with the referees after the buzzer.
“Yeah, that’s just not a basketball play,” Clark said. “But you know, I’ve gotta play through it, that’s what basketball is about at this level. I thought we’ve been really physical, we’ve missed some bunnies around the rim, so hopefully, those fall in the fourth.”
Clark and the Fever remained composed and hung on for their second win of the season as she finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Despite the loss, Carter finished with a game-high 19 points, going 8-for-12 from the field.
Carter refused to answer questions about the foul and Clark after the game.
“I ain’t answering no Caitlin Clark questions,” she told reporters.
The No. 1 overall draft pick this year has had her fair share of fiery moments in the WNBA ranks, and earlier this week, she got into it with Victoria Vivians of the Seattle Storm after Clark drilled a deep three.
Clark was issued a technical foul after the incident, her third since joining the Fever.
After that loss to Seattle, Clark spoke about the physical play against her early in her pro career.
“I feel like I’m getting hammered, I don’t know,” she told reporters Thursday.