For Indiana Fever fans, the good news from last night’s game is that you saw some of last year’s Caitlin Clark. Also, the bad news is, you saw some of last year’s Caitlin Clark.
The WNBA’s top player took the floor Thursday night against the Dallas Wings, and, for the most part, was moving and grooving pretty well for someone who had not played for nine months. However, in the third quarter, Dallas’ Alanna Smith hit Clark’s leg while in the act of shooting. Clark crumpled to the ground and limped to the bench before returning to take the two free throws and staying on the bench for good.
Smith was hit with a Flagrant 1 for the hit.
The scene was all too reminiscent of the hard fouls that plagued Clark for her first two years in the league. Unlike previous instances, however, the referees were quick to assess a flagrant foul to punish the offender.
Up until that point in the game, Clark was her old self, with 21 points, four assists, and hitting two of three from three-point land in only 16 minutes of floor time.
“We had planned for her to come out about that time anyway,” Fever coach Stephanie White said of Clark’s injury. “It was just an extra precaution getting her out in that moment, but the plan was for her to start the third quarter and then get her out quickly.”
The WNBA season begins on May 16.