The Indiana Fever earned their second win of the season – their first at home and a win in their first Commissioner’s Cup game – defeating the Chicago Sky 71-70 on Saturday behind 18 points from Kelsey Mitchell and 17 from NaLyssa Smith.
However, after the game, all the talk focused on Chennedy Carter’s foul on Caitlin Clark.
Asked about it after the game, Carter declined to talk about it.
Chennedy Carter on the sequence with Caitlin Clark in the 3rd quarter: “I’m not answering any questions from Caitlin Clark.”
Full clip: pic.twitter.com/4bRnyXgPjV
-Matthew Byrne (@MatthewByrne1) June 1, 2024
This generated a lot of reactions, both inside and outside the WNBA. Here’s a sample.
• Clark’s postgame reaction: “Yeah, I wasn’t expecting that. But it’s like, respond, calm down and let your game do the talking. It is what it is. It’s a physical game, go make the free throw and then execute on offense. I feel like that’s what we did.”
• Clark made the missing free throw in what turned out to be a one-point game.
• Chicago rookie and Clark’s longtime rival, Angel Reese, received some criticism for standing up and cheering on the game from the Sky sidelines.
• For many fans – especially Clark/Fever fans – this was seen as the latest in a long series of overly physical games that Clark has had to deal with this season.
• Fever coach Christi Sides appeared to agree with fans’ reaction to the play on social media.
• Draymond Green also took to social media and said Indiana needs to hire an enforcer.
• Jake Paul also weighed in.
Hating Caitlin Clark is hating opportunities for an entire sport
-Jake Paul (@jakepaul) June 1, 2024
• Many commentators want to see this as an example of the physicality and treatment Clark has received since entering the league. However, anyone who has watched the WNBA knows that Carter plays a physical game and is not afraid to mix things up – this is not a unique situation for her. This is a physical player doing what she did before, and that includes making a bad decision about when to mix things up. It was an unnecessary foul (and I would have said a flagrant one), but it’s not something Carter was out of character for.
• Clark reacted this way to the physicality she saw: “I feel like I’m at the point where you accept it and don’t retaliate. Just let them hit you, whatever it is, don’t let that happen. In your head and I know that’s coming. I think at this point, I know I’m going to take a few big shots a game, and that’s what I’m trying to do is not let it bother me and just stay in the game and stay in what’s important.”
