INDIANAPOLIS — Caitlin ClarkThe first home game in more than nine months was supposed to be a celebration.
Instead, he gave indiana fever And fans are scared Thursday night.
Clark fell to the ground at the beginning of the third quarter. dallas Ahead alana smith She was hit by her foot attempting a shot, and then limped to the bench due to the injury during a replay review, resulting in a flagrant 1 call. The two-time All-Star made two free throws before departing and watched the rest of the game from the bench.
“I feel good. I hit my knees hard,” Clark said after scoring 21 points in a 95-80 loss to the Wings. “I know there’s a committee of people that really wanted them (the refs) to start calling things, and I thought they did a great job of it. Honestly, I thought the refs were pretty good, and it’s the preseason so you’ll probably see more fouls called. I’m hoping that number goes down. But I think overall, it’s going to improve the product.”
Initially, it seemed like little had changed since Clark last played at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on July 13, when the Fever defeated Dallas.
The pre-game autograph line snaked through the seats, No. 22 jerseys and Clark T-shirts were as fashionable Thursday night as they were during his record-breaking rookie season, and, naturally, Clark was greeted with the usual loud cheers during player introductions.
Sure, it was only a preseason game, but it featured the league’s last two Rookie of the Year award winners – Clark and. Paige Bueckers. Yet Fever fans had been yearning for this moment since Clarke suffered a right groin injury on July 15 that caused her to miss the All-Star Game and All-Star weekend festivities in Indianapolis, as well as Indiana’s final 22 regular season games and an incredible performance in the WNBA Semifinals.
Clark first returned to the court for Team USA in the FIBA Women’s World Cup qualifying games in early March, then helped the Fever open the preseason with a 109–91 win in New York despite a 2-for-10 shooting performance.
This time, Clark looked exactly like himself. He scored 14 of his 21 points in the first quarter, had four assists, three turnovers and two rebounds, while going 4 of 6 from the field and 11 of 13 at the free throw line in 16 minutes.
“We planned for him to come out at that time,” coach Stephanie White said. “Taking him out at that moment was just an extra precaution, but the plan was for him to start the third trimester and then get him out quickly.”
White also kept the All-Star center aliyah boston For the second consecutive game due to a lower leg injury. all-star guard kelsey mitchell Finished with 10 points in 17 minutes.
However, not everyone came to see Clark.
A large number of fans also showed up in Bueckers jersey, and he stunned the crowd by scoring 20 points in 20 minutes on 8 of 12 shooting. Cheater azy fadThe No. 1 overall draft pick added four points in 16 minutes as the Wings used a 22-5 second quarter run to take control with a 53-26 lead. They were never left behind again.
Whether this is a sign that one of last season’s 10 winning teams could be headed for a major improvement remains to be seen.
And although there were many empty seats Thursday night, which is rare when Clark takes the stage, longtime Clark fans welcomed the opportunity to get what they anticipate will be a big season.
