Christie Sides’ Honest Review of Caitlin Clark After Rough Fouls by Sky.
Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark had the game of her life in a statement win over the Chicago Sky on the road on Friday, 100-81.
She scored a career-high 31 points. Clark added four rebounds and 12 assists to spearhead the Fever to their fourth win in five games. She also set a WNBA record by becoming the first player to record three games with at least 25 points and 10 assists in a season.
The 22-year-old guard did it in front of a hostile crowd of close to 9,500 at Wintrust Arena on “Barbie Night,” a celebration of Angel Reese, Clark’s rookie rival on the Sky. She was unfazed despite being on the receiving end of two flagrant fouls by the Sky.
After the game, Fever coach Christie Sides acknowledged Clarks’ fire, especially during intense skirmishes.
“Caitlin Clark just gives you energy, right?” Sides said, as quoted by a report from IndyStar’s Chloe Peterson. “It’s just who she is. I mean, she just keeps it alive, but she knows when to turn it on.
“You know, she’s a fierce competitor. It’s like just trickling off to our other players.”
Clark, who was recently named Eastern Conference Player of the Month, had plenty of help. Kelsey Mitchell tallied 23 points, while NaLyssa Smith and Lexie Hull combined for 25 points. The Fever improved to 16-16.
Clark and the Fever beat Reese and the Sky for the third time in four games, pushing her chances to win the Rookie of the Year honor.
“Honestly, I just had a lot of fun playing,” the former Iowa standout said in the report. “I thought we played with a lot of joy. We played up-tempo. We shared the ball.”
WNBA REMOVES Sheryl Swoopes From ANNOUNCE TEAM As Caitlin Clark & Indiana Fever Look For GET BACK.
Fever-Wings TV Broadcast Gets Shakeup Amid Sheryl Swoopes-Caitlin Clark Drama
Sheryl Swoopes’ disdain for Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark way have landed her in a bit of hot water.
The WNBA legend has been highly critical of the 22-year-old point guard all season long, and she recently drew the ire of several fans on social media after seemingly defending Chicago Sky guard Diamond DeShields after she fouled Clark hard from behind, knocking her to the floor.
And now, it seems Swoopes’ anti-Clark stance caused her to be removed from Sunday’s broadcast of the Fever-Dallas Wings matchup — a game in which she was supposed to serve as an analyst.
The Wings official website now lists Ron Thulin and Naismith Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman as the play-by-play and color commentators and ShaVonne Herndon as the sideline reporter.
Swoopes even seemed to confirm the news herself on X, replying “Not today Satan” to a user who commented saying she couldn’t wait to hear Swoopes’ announcing during Sunday’s game.
Swoopes has been under fire for her constant criticism of Clark, even getting called out by the likes of Stephen A. Smith and a few other media pundits.
The six-time WNBA All-Star and four-time WNBA champion didn’t do herself any favors with her post-game comments about DeShields’ blatant targeting of Clark, seemingly endorsing players taking a run at the Rookie of the Year favorite.
“Diamond DeShields head up kid!” Swoopes tweeted after Friday’s 100-81 Fever win over the Sky. “Hate will not win!! You are covered and ain’t nothing these evil people can do about that. All love for you!”
Tipoff for the Fever and Wings matchup is Sunday at 4 p.m. ET.
