Caitlin Clark had herself a night Friday, when she scored 45 points and 10 assists, set a few new WNBA records, and reminded scores of fans and detractors who she is and how she plays basketball. As is true with so many things, the best thing Clark could have done to take back control of the many narratives that surge around her was to perform, and she did that while operating on overdrive.
The Fever's 110-107 win against the Seattle Storm was a tight one, and it was one that Clark didn't seem willing to lose. Her performance marked the WNBA's first-ever 40+ and 10+ assist game in the league's history and the most points ever scored by a single Fever player in a game. Clark's previous career-high was 35 points.
Clark also became the fastest player in league history to make 200 three-pointers, earned the fourth-most points and assists double-doubles in league history, and hit the fifth-most three-pointers in WNBA history. She and her teammate Kelsey Mitchell, who had 30 points of her own, combined for the most single-game points in the history of the Fever. Perhaps most impressive is that Clark did all of this in 29 minutes on the court.
In other words, this is why the Fever drafted Clark, this is what she's capable of, and this is what the franchise clearly hopes is in its future.
The game wasn't open-and-shut for the Fever. Though the team led by as much as 17 points at one point, the Storm came roaring back in the third quarter and the team was only up by 8 points in the fourth.
The Fever will host the New York Liberty Saturday
Clark will immediately be tested again when the Fever hosts the New York Liberty today. The teams are currently close in standings; the Fever is ranked sixth in the league with 15 wins and 10 losses, and the Liberty is ranked seventh in the league with 13 wins and 11 losses.
The Liberty have continued to struggle to find their team identity of late and are 1-4 in their last five games. New York isn't meeting their own expectations so far this season, but they have plenty of time to turn things around. Unfortunately, the Fever will be riding the momentum that last night's game generated and they will be hosting at home, which could make it difficult for New York to succeed in a meaningful way.
Add us as a preferred source on Google