A day after a controversial game against the Chicago Sky, the Indiana Fever suffered a 104-68 loss to the New York Liberty on the road on Sunday.
And controversial guard Caitlin Clark struggled mightily at Barclays Center during the team’s most recent loss.
Clark finished with three points on 1-of-10 field goal success, including 1-of-7 3-pointers, and also had five assists, two rebounds, two steals and one block.
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Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark throws the ball during the third quarter of a game against the Liberty at Barclays Center on June 2, 2024 in New York City. (Luke Hales/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, the New York Liberty saw stars such as Breanna Stewart (13 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists), Sabrina Ionescu (16 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds), Jonquel Jones (18 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals) and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (20 points, 5 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals) shine on their home court.
The Fever were fresh off a tough 71-70 win over the Sky the night before, but less than 24 hours had passed since controversy and tension erupted between the two teams.
Sky guard Chennedy Carter was seen hip-checking Clark during the game, and Sky teammate Angel Reese applauded when the flagrant foul was changed to a one-point violation after a WNBA review on Sunday.
Sky’s Chennedy Carter slams Caitlin Clark for refusing to answer questions about foul
After the game, Carter avoided questions about Clark, but her thoughts on this year’s No. 1 overall draft pick were backed up by likes and reposts defending her actions on X.
Carter then posted to the thread on Sunday, slamming Clark.
“And in that respect, that’s what she brings to the team other than her three-point shooting,” Carter wrote in response to a post about her post-game press conference.
In another post on the thread, Carter also responded to a video of Reese celebrating a hard foul on Clark during a timeout, commenting, “My Doug Fash saved all my teammates.”
Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark (left) and New York Liberty’s Kayla Thornton compete for a loose ball during the first half at Barclays Center on June 2, 2024 in New York City. (Luke Hales/Getty Images)
Amid reports that the league would upgrade Carter’s foul to a flagrant offense, the league fined Reese $1,000 for not attending the postgame press conference, and the Sky were fined $5,000.
After the game, when asked about Carter’s foul, Clark replied, “I didn’t expect it. It can’t be helped. It’s a physical game. Make the free throws and go on the offensive. I think that’s what we had to do.”
While Clark took the high road, general manager Lin Dunn and head coach Christy Sides spoke out.
“There’s a difference between tough defense and unnecessary offensive action!” Dan wrote in X’s post. “This has to stop! The league needs to ‘clean up’ the shit! This league isn’t like that!!”
Said added: “We’re trying to avoid getting fined. We’re going to continue to provide those possessions and those plays to the league and hopefully they’ll … take a closer look at some of the things that we’re seeing or think are going on.”
Indiana Fever player Caitlin Clark is seen during the fourth quarter of a game against the Chicago Sky at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on June 1, 2024 in Indianapolis. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Clark’s fans have taken to social media to attack Carter, specifically blaming her for what happened on the court, though the pair had apparently been arguing prior to the hip check. However, Carter also took to her Instagram Story, writing, “I’d rather have you hate me than love me. That’s how I felt about my late aunt,” before prefaced by saying that she “prefers hate over love” because she “grew up with only siblings.”
Carter also suggested Clark fumbled on the play, saying the hip check looked worse than it actually was.
Either way, Clark knows the target is on her and the Fever that follows her as she enters her rookie season in a WNBA that generated huge expectations and a new audience after a stellar collegiate career at Iowa.
How she responds to a “welcome to the show” moment like Saturday will really be important, but it wasn’t her best performance in the back-to-back games against Liberty.
Indiana Fever player Caitlin Clark is seen during the first quarter of a game against the Liberty at Barclays Center on June 2, 2024 in New York City. (Luke Hales/Getty Images)
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The Fever (2-9) got off to a slow start this season, but Clark became just the second player in WNBA history to record 100 points, 50 rebounds and 50 assists in her first 10 games, joining Ionescu as the third player to do so. She had 11 points, eight rebounds and three assists in a win over Chicago.
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydas contributed to this report.
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