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Caitlin Clark dazzles, ties career-high mark in return from injury
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Caitlin Clark had missed the last 5 games for the Indiana Fever coming into the weekend, so you knew she was going to be eager to leave her mark in Saturday’s game against the New York Liberty. Clark did that, and then some, engineering a big-time 102-88 win for Indiana, knocking New York from the ranks of the unbeaten.
From the opening tip-off, this game was all about Clark’s return. While the Liberty raced out to an early lead, it did not take long for Clark to find her range, and that range was deep.
She began with back-to-back 3’s from way downtown in the opening quarter, leading to one of the best opening halves of her professional career. Clark entered the break with 25 points and the Fever clinging to a halftime lead.
In the 2nd half, Clark’s scoring cooled off a bit, but that allowed her to open up the game further for her teammates. She flirted with a triple-double, finishing the game with 32 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds in the win.
The output is a season-high in points for Clark and her first 30-point game of the season for the Fever. She also drilled 7-of-14 3-point attempts, tying her WNBA career-high for 3-pointers in a game.
The win is also a key one for Indiana. The Fever went just 2-3 without Clark in the lineup, and the Liberty were off to a 9-0 start this season as the reigning WNBA champs.
Earlier this season, Clark and the Fever fell just short in a 90-88 win by New York, Now, Indiana can rest after evening the season series at a game apiece.
After the game, Clark admitted she felt well about her strength and performance. There are certainly things to clean up, but her return from injury went about as smoothly as possible.
“I feel good, I thought my rotations were good… I feel strong, I felt good,” said Clark about her health. “I thought we played a good game, thought there was a lot we can still improve on, but that’s really positive for us. That’s how the Fever are supposed to play basketball. Up-tempo, unselfish, working for your teammates.”
During her injury absence, Clark’s odds to win the WNBA MVP Award took a hit, falling to +310 via FanDuel. Napheesa Collier is the current frontrunner, coming in at -420. However, after her return in emphatic fashion, now might be the best time to buy stock in Clark winning her first MVP honor this season.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.