Caitlin Clark had another angry interaction with a referee in Wednesday’s contest between the Indiana Fever and Golden State Valkyries. In the second quarter, Clark went down after colliding with Valkyries center Kiah Stokes at the rim. The Fever star appeared to be in pain and limped back for the defensive possession.
Clark then charged at the official, seemingly upset that she had not been awarded an and-1 opportunity on that play. Clark discussed the incident in her post-game interview. She said Stokes’ knee struck her quad, and the referees shouldn’t have missed a call like that.
“Yeah, the knee right in the quad,” she told reporters. “Like, that hurts … the ref can’t miss that and I have to play with a contusion in my leg the rest of the game, it’s ridiculous.”
Caitlin Clark also shared the referee’s explanation.
“She said I initiated the contact,” Clark said. “Which is fine, [but] you can’t hit me in the leg, knock me over.”
Clark was struggling with her game. The layup she made was her first shot. Clark went on to score 13 points on 28.6% shooting. She took eight attempts from beyond the arc, making only one shot.
Clark also appeared frustrated in the third quarter as she headed to the bench and argued with an official while being subbed out. According to Fever reporter Chloe Peterson, Clark slapped the bench so loudly they could hear it at the club level.
The Fever were issued a delay-of-game warning after that incident. To make things worse, Indiana lost 88-75 on its home floor. The officials called 19 fouls on the Fever and 16 on Golden State. The Valkyries also had a free-throw advantage with seven more trips to the line (23-16).
Caitlin Clark calls the Valkyries the best defensive team in the WNBA
The Valkyries have troubled Caitlin Clark more than any other team in the WNBA. In five games, Clark has averaged 14.4 points, 7.2 assists and 4.2 rebounds, shooting 31.3% from the field, including 25.7% from three-point range against the Western Conference franchise.
On Wednesday, while dissecting her struggles, Clark admitted the Valkyries are the best defensive team in the WNBA.
“I got some good looks, obviously,” she said. “I think I played like what, 10 minutes in the first half? I was just struggling a little bit to find a flow and you know, they’re in my grill. They’re probably the best defensive team in the league. They’re really good at that.”
Clark has been struggling since her return from a back injury, which she aggravated in the controversial June 24 game against the Phoenix Mercury. In three games since her comeback, Clark has shot 3-for-19 from deep. She has yet to score 15 points in a game.
The 13 points she tallied on Wednesday were the most she had in a game in that stretch.
Read more:
- “Paige, Angel & Olivia Get Tech’d For Less”: WNBA Fans Slam Caitlin Clark’s Crashout After Refs Allegedly Miss And-1 Call
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Comment on Caitlin Clark Gets Slammed by Analyst
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