Alyssa Thomas was involved in another potential flagrant foul situation with Lexie Hull, nearly two weeks after an incident with Caitlin Clark earned her a Flagrant 2 and a one-game suspension. The league punished Thomas after she appeared to have her fist on Clark’s neck.
In Thursday’s clash between the Phoenix Mercury and Indiana Fever, the first since their volatile meeting on June 24, Thomas made contact with Hull’s face on an offensive possession in the third quarter. As Hull came over to block Thomas’ shot in the paint, the Mercury guard’s elbow connected with the Fever defensive stopper’s nose. Unlike the Clark incident, the referees reviewed this one and ultimately ruled in Thomas’ favor.
Here’s a video of the incident posted by X user @SnapshotKyle:
Hull dabbed her nose with a towel on the Fever bench and later put a cotton ball in her nostril to stop the bleeding. @SnapshotKyle posted a clip of that as well:
Thomas stepped up at the free-throw line and made both her free throws. Hull picked up her first foul and was subbed out. Phoenix led 57-49 after that possession.
Kevin Durant’s podcast co-host takes sneaky shot at refs over Alyssa Thomas-Lexie Hull incident
Kevin Durant’s podcast co-host, Eddie Gonzalez, took a sneaky shot at the referees for ruling in Alyssa Thomas’ favor after her incident with Lexie Hull. Gonzalez shared his thoughts on X, suggesting that the official made a blunder by awarding Thomas a whistle.
“Lexie Hull’s nose just fouled Alyssa Thomas’ elbow,” he wrote.
Alyssa Thomas is one of the most physically dominant players in the WNBA, especially among point guards. Most of her contact with defensive players is inadvertent. That could have been the case in Thursday’s incident with Lexie Hull.
The referees believed so, too, saying it was unintentional and a basketball play on the ball. The Fever didn’t complain about the call and stayed the course in their bid to avoid losing their grip on the game.
They were successful, going on a 13-0 run to retake the lead.
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