The Indiana Fever fell to .500 on the season after their eight-point loss to the New York Liberty. But the final scoreline doesn’t indicate the flow of this game, as Indiana was in the driver’s seat until the midway point of the fourth quarter.
With a 25-21 start after the first frame, Indiana looked on pace to overcome the Sabrina Ionescu-less Liberty. However, the Fever’s shooting numbers took a nosedive as the team could only muster up 5-17 three-pointers and 18-51 total field goals in the remaining two-thirds of the game.
Shortly after a disastrous end to the game, fans took to X (Formerly Twitter) to call for the firing of head coach Stephanie White.
One fan commented:
While another fan called out the head coach for ‘destroying’ Caitlin Clark:
Another fan called for the ‘experiment’ to end as the Fever struggle to get any rhythm in their season:
While one fan questioned White’s player management:
Another fan added:
Kelsey Mitchell led the team in scoring with 21 points, and Monique Billings put up a season-high 15 points. Meanwhile, Caitlin Clark struggled to get the offense rolling, finishing with 10 points on 4-14 shooting. Aliyah Boston added 13 points of her own with nine rebounds.
The Breanna Stewart-led Liberty turned up the heat on defense, limiting the Fever to just 18 points in the fourth quarter, five of which came after the game was virtually out of hand. It was business as usual for Stewart, who led the Liberty in scoring with 30 points.
Caitlin Clark Gets Mired In Trade Rumors
While the expectations were high from Caitlin Clark and the Fever after the Indiana star missed the majority of last season due to injury, the team has not been able to live up to its potential.
A 5-5 record, a heated back-and-forth between Stephanie White and Caitlin Clark, are just two of the factors that have played spoilers in the Fever’s quest for a WNBA championship.
While Clark denied any rumors of a fallout with the head coach, the incident eventually led to fans calling for their star player to be traded in hopes of seeing Clark prosper on a better roster, with many predicting a move to the Los Angeles Sparks could be on the cards.
Lakers legend Mychal Thomas claimed Caitlin Clark’s time with the Fever could be coming to an end, stating:
I’m hearing from a reliable source the Fever dont want Caitlin no more…SPARKS…Go get her…NOW!!! (@champagnennuts)
Jason Whitlock also added fuel to the fire with a rumor about a potential LA Sparks-Indiana Fever trade, as well as a new face to replace Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts:
The Indiana Fever are planning to ship Caitlin Clark to the Los Angeles Sparks. I expect UCLA coach Cori Close to be the head coach of the Sparks. (@jasonwhitlock)
