It was an incredibly frustrating night for Indiana Fever star guard Caitlin Clark, as she was on the court to see her team fall to the Golden State Valkyries 88-75 on Wednesday.
Clark finished the contest by making only 4-of-14 shots from the field and had an even rougher time making her three-pointers, converting just 1-of-8. Her final stat line was 13 points, 6 assists, 4 turnovers, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block.
Things were even more frustrating for Clark with the knee she took to the quad, which boiled over to her screaming at the referee’s face regarding the situation. There were more elements to the game than that, though, that were bothering Clark in the moment, but it wasn’t as obvious to Fever and WNBA fans.
Caitlin Clark Might Be Showing Some Frustrations With Fever’s Decision
GettyINDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – JUNE 22: Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever reacts during the second half against the Phoenix Mercury at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on June 22, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
After the game, Clark spoke with the media, and she had one answer that not many people noticed at the time, but it was interesting. She talked about how great the Valkyries’ defense was, but also that there might be a reason behind the struggles with her shooting of late.
“I got some good looks, obviously. It’s hard. I think I played like, what, 10 minutes in the first half. I was just struggling a little bit to find a flow. And they’re in my grill. They’re probably the best defensive team in the league. They’re really good at that. They do what they do. And I had some good looks that didn’t go down. And then, I shot some tougher looks too, but I thought I finally kind of played with a little bit more pace and a little bit more burst, especially down the stretch in the fourth. But hopefully I don’t have to keep playing 25 minutes.”
Indiana has been safe with Clark in the last three games, making sure she is not being overworked and hurting herself more. The 26 minutes she played against Golden State was the longest she has been on the court. She previously also played 24 minutes in the win against the Las Vegas Aces and just 16 minutes in the loss to the Los Angeles Sparks.
The Fever have had a minutes restriction on Clark since her return from the back injury. She has been popping up on the injury reports with a “probable” status in each of those last three contests.
Since Clark’s return to the court, it has been clear that she has never been able to get into any kind of rhythm with her shooting. In the last three games, she is shooting 3-for-19 from the three-point line and making only 35.1% of her field goals. Two of those three games have resulted in Fever losses.
Indiana Fever Must Go Back to the Drawing Board
GettyCaitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever talks with Aliyah Boston #7 against the Chicago Sky during the fourth quarter in the game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on June 01, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The Fever’s schedule only gets tougher as they dropped to 14-10 on the season, but are still in the driver’s seat to make the playoffs. They have two games coming up in back-to-back days with home games against the Seattle Storm on Friday and the New York Liberty on Saturday.
There has been no word on how the Fever will continue the minutes restrictions for Clark in those two games. The chances of it are probably going to be high since they need to make sure she stays on the court throughout the year.
Things could get interesting for Clark after being in the news quite often of late, but a couple of strong performances could ease some of the tension.
Caitlin Clark Subtly Hints Growing Frustration After Fever Loss