PHOENIX – The Caitlin Clark haters got some additional ammunition on Thursday night as the Fever defeated the Phoenix Mercury 92-89 to move to 4-0 without Clark this season.
Kelsey Mitchell scored 29 points, including a go-ahead layup with 10 seconds left, to lead all scorers. Aliyah Boston returned from injury and scored 21 points. Rookie Raven Johnson saw extended minutes with Clark sidelined but only managed to score 6 points in the star’s absence.
Sophie Cunningham, who produced perhaps the most viral moment of the WNBA season when the Mercury and Fever met on June 22, hit two clutch free throws in the final seconds to seal the win.
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Alyssa Thomas, who was suspended for one game for a Flagrant 2 foul on Clark when the two teams met on June 24, scored 22 points in the loss.
The Fever ruled Clark out for Thursday night’s game against Phoenix despite the guard playing 16 minutes on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Sparks and saying afterward that her “body feels great.”
Stephanie White said prior to Wednesday’s game that Clark and Boston would split the back-to-back, with Clark active against Los Angeles and Boston active against Phoenix.
Indiana is 9-9 in games Clark has played this season, but is now 4-0 without her. However, there’s important context. Only one of the teams the Fever have defeated without Clark has a winning record, the Las Vegas Aces.
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That might sound impressive, given that the Aces are the defending WNBA champions. However, four-time MVP A’ja Wilson missed the game with an injury.
The other wins came against the expansion Portland Fire on May 20, the currently 9-11 Los Angeles Sparks on June 27 and the now 8-15 Mercury on Thursday.
While many Clark haters on social media like to say that she is a liability defensively (even though the data suggests that’s not entirely true), the team didn’t exactly put on a defensive clinic without her. Especially in the first half.
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The Mercury scored 53 points across the first two quarters, shooting 55% from the field.
Regardless, there’s a certain section of people out there who root for Clark to fail. A fourth straight win in games that she has missed is certain to provide them with additional fuel.