INDIANAPOLIS — Frustrated by the Indiana Fever’s 88-75 loss to the Golden State Valkyries midway through the second quarter on Wednesday night, Caitlin Clark raised her fist in the air and walked toward the official.
Clark was driving to the basket for a layup and fell to the floor after making contact with Kia Stokes. The basket was good, but she didn’t get fouled. Clarke limped back to the defensive line, and as soon as play was stopped at the next whistle, she immediately turned to the referee, who was nearby at the other end of the court.
“The referee can’t miss this… then I’ll have to play with a bruised leg for the rest of the game,” Clarke said later. “This is funny… (The referee) said I initiated contact. That’s okay, but you can’t knee me in the leg. Knock me down.”
As upset as Clarke was about not getting a call, she didn’t seem worried about her leg.
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“Ah, we’ll just erase it,” Clark said with a smile. “Good old fists, that’s enough.”
Fever coach Stephanie White added with a hint of sarcasm: “They said Kaitlyn initiated contact. That’s all they said. She always seems to initiate contact.
Every time the three-time All-Star hits the floor, it raises concerns among Fever fans. Clark missed three of the last six games and was limited in minutes in the other three due to a back injury.
Before the game, Clarke said she felt good but wasn’t sure what her status would be for her upcoming back-to-back games Friday and Saturday against the Seattle Storm and New York Liberty. However, she hasn’t been as efficient as usual, shooting 35% from the field and 16% from beyond the arc in her last three games.
Clark finished with 13 points, six assists and three rebounds in 26 minutes Wednesday, shooting 4 of 14 from the field and 1 of 8 on 3-pointers. Kelsey Mitchell scored a Fever-high 20 points and Aliyah Boston had 15 points and seven rebounds.
“I have them in the grill,” Clark said of the Valkyries. “They are probably the best defensive team in the league. They’re really good at this. I thought I finally played a little quicker and a little quicker, especially in the fourth.”
That defense has given Golden State eight straight wins, the longest active winning streak in the league and the longest tie this season with the Minnesota Lynx and Liberty. It was the Valkyries’ 11th double-digit win, the most of any team in 2026.
Six players scored in double figures for Golden State. All-Star starter Gabby Williams scored 16 points and Caitlin Chen scored 14 points off the bench.
“The ref can’t miss this…then I’ll have to play with a bruised leg for the rest of the game,” Caitlin Clark said after the game. “This is funny… (The referee) said I initiated contact. That’s okay, but you can’t knee me in the leg. Knock me down.” Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire
“We should be the only team that has multiple options for six players of the year,” Williams said. “This is crazy.”
Coach Natalie Nakase added: “I think they would rather see success in the team than in themselves.”
The Valkyries have held opponents to 75 points or fewer 12 times this season and are 11-1 in those games. That’s the highest total in the league and doubles the next closest teams, the Lynx, Phoenix Mercury and Washington Mystics, with six points each.
Still, Nakase wasn’t too excited.
“We’re really trying to prepare,” Nakase said. “We have to get better.
“We haven’t developed a game plan defensively, so we have something to work on rather than looking at the series right now.”