Caitlin Clark’s competitive fire was on full display once again on Thursday night, as she clashed with another WNBA rival on the court.
The Indiana Fever sensation, who was involved in a heated altercation with Angel Reese in the season opener last weekend, this time exchanged words with Atlanta Dream star Rhyne Howard.
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Late in the first quarter, the latter was called for a foul at half court, which led to Clark putting her shoulder into Howard’s chest, sparking a small scuffle.
TV cameras captured the pair going at it, before players from both teams stepped in to separate the two.
Clark, who was named 2024’s WNBA Rookie of the Year after a record-breaking season, then walked to the bench and was spotted mouthing a five-word message to her opponent.
“I’m not scared of you,” she appeared to say in Howard’s direction, before offering a sarcastic thumbs up as the teams went to the locker rooms for halftime.
Clark and the Fever went on to have the last laugh on Thursday night, as they ran out 81-76 winners.
But while they left Atlanta with the victory, Indiana’s performance was far from pretty.
The Fever shot 7 of 23 from three-point range, and went 8 of 15 on free throws.
Perhaps most surprisingly, Clark’s shooting was also noticeably off.
She put up 11 points, and went 0 for 5 from three-point range.
By failing to make a shot from outside the arc, Thursday’s game saw the end of a historic streak for the second-year standout.
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“Caitlin Clark finished 0-5 on 3s tonight, her first career WNBA game without a made trey,” ESPN’s Alexa Philippou wrote on X.
“She’d made a 3 in 42-straight games, the longest streak to begin a career in WNBA/NBA history.
“It’s the 1st time since 1/13/22 (as a sophomore at Iowa) that she didn’t make a 3.”
A streak of 140 games, including the WNBA regular season and playoffs, and the bulk of her college career, included at least one made 3-pointer.
Seeing Clark struggle from distance is certainly an unfamiliar sight for fans, as she has become one of the biggest stars in basketball thanks, in part, to her ability to drain deep shots.
Luckily for Clark and the Fever, Natasha Howard stayed hot against the Dream.
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She scored 26 points to lead Indiana to victory in front of a sellout crowd, ensuring that the teams split a two-game series this week.
Atlanta won 91-90 at Indiana on Tuesday night before the Fever got their revenge.
Sophie Cunningham also added nine points in her debut for Indiana after missing the first two games with a right ankle sprain.
Coach Stephanie White confirmed Cunningham was cleared to play with no restriction on her minutes, in what will be a boost for the team.
“Big plays at key moments,” White said in the locker room after the game.
“This is what it’s going to take, this is a display of the depth we have. If it’s not your night, someone else is going to step up.
“It’s not going to be easy, teams are going to defend us in lots of different ways, they’re going to try and take one or two away.
“But when we get contributions like this, from everybody, we’re going to find ourselves in the win column.”
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The Fever return home to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to host the defending WNBA Champions the New York Liberty on Saturday, May 24.
