Barstool founder Dave Portnoy condemned the “brutal cheap shot” Alyssa Thomas took at Caitlin Clark during the second quarter of Wednesday’s game between the Phoenix Mercury and Indiana Fever. After Clark went down on an offensive possession, Thomas and DeWanna Bonner pounced on her to snag the ball away.
The Mercury duo managed that, but at the end of it, Thomas appeared to land her fist on Clark’s throat. She also stepped over the Fever star who tried to protect herself in that melee and avoid an injury. Portnoy shared a video of that incident on his X and gave Thomas and the rest of the WNBA players a harsh reality check about their lives without Clark.
“What are we even doing here? Brutal cheap shot. These women would still be flying commercial without Caitlin and this is how she is treated. Insane,” he wrote.
Shortly after, Clark got fouled again after she stepped on Valeriane Ayayi’s foot. The Mercury player appeared to commit a landing space foul, which is usually a flagrant 1. However, the referees didn’t call it. That was apparently the play Clark got injured on, according to reporters Chloe Peterson and Brian Haenchen.
Portnoy called out the WNBA for that play as well, saying:
“Caitlin tweaked her back on this foul. Eventually checked out and didn’t return. The @wnba unfortunately reaps what it sows.”
Clark returned to play in the third until the 5:15 mark. She then left the floor, and the Fever ruled her out.
The Indiana Fever lost after Caitlin Clark’s exit
The Indiana Fever lost the game 111-109 after Caitlin Clark’s injury exit. When Clark left, they were up two. Indiana extended that lead by six early in the fourth quarter. However, Kelsey Mitchell and the rest of the group couldn’t sustain it.
Phoenix crawled back down the stretch and took a four-point lead with just under four minutes left. The Mercury didn’t lose the lead the rest of the way, even stretching it by six with 1:40 left.
Caitlin Clark’s night ended with 19 points and eight assists on 5 of 9 shots, including 3 of 4 from deep. She was due for another huge performance and a WNBA record-extending seven games with 20-plus points and five-plus assists if not for her injury.
Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston tried their best with 30 and 23 points, respectively. Both shot at least 50.0% from the field. On the other hand, Alyssa Thomas was the Mercury’s best with 24 points and eight assists on 12 of 17 shots. Meanwhile, Kahlea Copper scored a team-high 28 points on just 10 field attempts. She was 15 of 16 at the free-throw line.
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