Watch out, WNBA: A classic Caitlin Clark performance showed the Fever's ceiling

New York Times

10 hours ago

INDIANAPOLIS — So, be honest, how did you think Caitlin Clark would play heading into her first game back after a three-week absence?
Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White knew Clark's adrenaline would be high to open the game. It was, as Clark fired the first of her 14 3-point attempts on Indiana's first offensive possession. But did White anticipate a 25-point first half from her superstar guard?
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'No,' she said.
Fever guard Lexie Hull said getting Clark back felt 'a little bit like Christmas morning.' But did Hull, speaking pregame, want to put a number on Clark's potential output? Another no. Hull only predicted Clark would provide a jolt inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Clark, herself, said that White told her to have grace with herself as she returned from a left quadriceps strain that kept out since May 24. Earlier this week Clark wondered if there would be rust to shake off after missing five games with a quadriceps injury.
But perhaps, no one should have been surprised by what occurred on Saturday afternoon in Indiana's 102-88 win over the previously undefeated New York Liberty. Clark finished with 32 points, three shy of her career-high. She hit seven 3-pointers, tying a career-high, with all of them coming from beyond 25-feet. She had nine assists, finding teammates on stretch passes. She added eight rebounds, igniting fast breaks.
'Don't we always expect that kind of game from Caitlin?' White asked postgame.
We should. Or at least we will now.
The Fever supernova is officially back in orbit. That much was clear on Saturday. But another statement was made, too: Indiana remains among the league's most dangerous franchises when No. 22 is running the WNBA's most popular show.
Caitlin Clark is up to 30 points, including seven 3s 🍿
🎥 @WNBA pic.twitter.com/XuUVSH1HK4
— The Athletic WBB (@TheAthleticWBB) June 14, 2025
Eager Fever fans welcomed Clark back as she walked onto the floor more than 100 minutes before tipoff. Those lucky enough to be around the court and lower bowl during Indy's warmups took out their phones to film Clark getting loose. They know every moment is precious, after Clark missed games for the first time in her professional or collegiate career. Indiana went 2-3 in her absence.
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A sellout crowd of more than 17,000 fans later roared in delight as Clark was introduced in pregame introductions. After the opening tipoff of Indiana's fourth Commissioner's Cup game, fans cheered even when she merely touched the basketball.
Clark reciprocated pleasantries, though nothing was more eye-catching than her 3-point barrage late in the first quarter.
In the span of 38 seconds, Clark knocked down three consecutive 3s, from a combined 93 feet. Her presence was fully felt.
The 3-point burst was vintage Clark. Not only was each shot in transition or semi-transition, but she faced the crowd to flex, gestured to Fever fans to get louder or stuck out her tongue as she ran back on defense in celebration each time.
'That's a wow moment, certainly,' White said.
What else needs to be said?
Sometimes words aren't even needed to describe Clark's impact. With 5:27 remaining in the second quarter, Clark sunk her fifth 3-pointer, hitting a step-back over the outstretched arms of Liberty forward Breanna Stewart. Stewart could only smile and laugh as play went the other way.
Greatness respects greatness after all.
Clark said she felt 'a little extra juice' on Saturday morning, energized as she made her return to game action for the first time in weeks. She attended the Indiana Fever's NBA Finals game Friday night, but went home before it was over to watch film and review the Fever's scout once more before sleep. She admitted the NBA-WNBA late-night to afternoon turnaround was tough to balance.
But Clark has worked on her balance since going down with an injury. She was forced to weigh desires to play in the short-term with the knowledge that the Fever are still in only the first third of the season. She recognized that despite the Fever's 4-5 record entering Saturday, an early return wasn't worth it if it could put her health in jeopardy again.
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So instead, Clark watched from the sidelines for five games. She encouraged teammates and helped coaches during games by charting when the Fever had three consecutive empty offensive possessions.
Coach Clark was appreciated and made a difference.
Player Clark can be transcendent.
The Liberty, trailing at halftime for the first time this season, jumped on the Fever to open the third quarter, beginning with a 9-0 run. It was exactly how White didn't want her players to respond after the break.
In the locker room, White had warned them to not let New York sprint out of the half because she didn't have as many timeouts as she would have liked. So White let them figure it out themselves. They did. Indiana orchestrated a 19-0 run, with Clark scoring or assisting on 17 of those points.
'We had to figure out how to play through it and go on a run of our own,' Clark said. 'I kinda think that's where we grew up today. In the past, that's kinda where we would crumble.'
That's what happened against the Atlanta Dream last Tuesday, as a tie game at half turned into a 14-point Dream lead after three.
That's the Clark difference. Not only can she score and pass like the sport's all-time greats, but she can manage the game at an elite level, too. 'Being able to harness those moments when it's really rolling, and being able to be patient in the moments where you're trying to get it rolling,' White said, describing another aspect of Clark's growth.
Patience is still an area of development for Clark. (Managing her frustration is as well. Clark picked up her first technical foul of the regular season in the second quarter arguing a foul called on wing Sophie Cunningham, who also returned from injury after a mutli-game absence.)
Clark was adamant that she's not a fan of minute restrictions. She didn't want to return unless she was 100 percent healthy. White didn't cap her at a time limit — she played 31 minutes in her return — but she did play Clark in shorter spurts.
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She exited the game less than four minutes into the first quarter for an early breather. The substitution marking the earliest she had checked out of a game this season. In between the first and second quarters, Clark put her hand on her chest as if to suck in more air. She said afterward that she even asked for a sub in the second quarter.
But even a fatigued Clark is better than no Clark. Her gravitational pull is apparent every time she's on the floor. Hull finished with 14 points, hitting three 3-pointers, two of which were on Clark assists. Veteran guard Sydney Colson, who slid into the Indiana starting lineup with Clark out, had 10 points, getting cleaner looks alongside her.
Two-time All-Star guard Kelsey Mitchell added 22 points of her own. Indiana tied a franchise-record for 3s made (17).
'She carried us in the first half and everybody else carried us in the second half,' White said.
That's what makes Indiana so dangerous. The Fever are ranked No. 2 in defensive rating, up from 11th last season. Indiana's offense? It can be as lethal as anyone's as evidenced by hanging 102 points on the defending WNBA champions.
Clark knows that recovery will now be critical. For three weeks, she did everything she could to return to the court as healthy as possible. She used red light therapy and needling. She lifted to strengthen her muscles and used a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. She plans to maintain some of those routines. 'With the schedule that we have coming up, that's going to be super important,' Clark said.
But her presence can't be overstated. Before walking off the court, she signed a few autographs and posed for a few pictures. She had interacted with fans amid her absence. But she often did so pregame before finding a seat next to coaches and teammates on the bench for 40 minutes at a time.
Now, she will only sit when subbed. She's back to delighting fans with her play. Opponents beware. Expectations are clear.
'She's special,' White said.
(Photo of Caitlin Clark: A.J. Mast / NBAE via Getty Images)