While Caitlin Clark had a remarkable performance against the Chicago Sky in the WNBA’s first-ever “Barbie Night,” it wasn’t without a few botches. The Indiana Fever rookie missed a deep three-pointer in the final minutes of the game that saw the Fever win over the Sky 100-81.
Already with 29 points and her team with a 96-71 lead, Clark attempted a 26-foot shot with 4:24 left in the final quarter of the game, but the shot was way off the mark. Fans heckled her after the airball, but she just laughed it off and pointed at the scoreboard to remind the fans who was in the lead at that moment.
In the post-game press conference that followed, the Fever rookie joked about the airball.
“I just launched one for fun. It was kind of a bomb. It was a good airball,” she said.
Caitlin Clark finished the game with a double-double, adding 12 assists to a career-high 31 points, sinking five of her nine three-pointers in 8-for-14 shooting. She committed only three turnovers in the game, achieving a +23 rating.
As the time was running out with the Fever seemingly on the verge of victory, the team let their starters sit the rest of the game. Kelsey Mitchell, NaLyssa Smith, and Lexie Hull contributed to Indiana’s win with 23, 14, and 11 points, respectively. The Fever is now the sixth seed, tied at 16-16 with current seventh-seed Phoenix Mercury.
Angel Reese recorded her 23rd career double-double in the loss, notching 10 points and 11 rebounds to set a WNBA rookie record. Michaela Onyenwere and Lindsay Allen contributed 20 and 19 points to the Sky, respectively, but they still fell to an 11-20 record. The defeat was their fifth, putting their playoff chances in jeopardy as they are in the still unsecured final playoff spot.
Caitlin Clark’s post-Olympic break stats: A closer look
Caitlin Clark was not selected for the USA women’s basketball team in the 2024 Paris Olympics, so she’s fresh and well-rested coming into the second half of the season, and saying she has a lot of pent-up energy to unleash is an understatement.
In the Fever’s six games following the Olympic break, Clark has averaged 24.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 8.5 assists, and 3.7 three-point shots made per game. They only lost one of the five games.
Indiana Fever is gaining momentum heading into the playoffs. They have eight games left to play, three of which are against .500 teams; they will play one game against the Minnesota Lynx and two against the two-time defending champions Las Vegas Aces.
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