Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark left her team’s 111-109 loss to the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday with a back injury after a series of controversial incidents, including a loose-ball scramble where Phoenix’s Alyssa Thomas put her fist into Clark’s neck.

It’s unclear how long Clark may be sidelined, if at all. Fever coach Stephanie White did not have an update after the game, but said the team would be “careful” with Clark because it is a “long season.” A furious White also went off on Thomas and the officials in an impassioned defense of her superstar guard. 

White called Thomas’ conduct “egregious and utterly disrespectful,” and said that Clark was on the receiving end of “two cheap shots.” 

The first came with just under seven minutes to play in the second quarter. Clark tried to drive to the basket, but tripped over Lexi Held’s foot and fell to the ground. After a brief scramble for the ball, she regained control and somehow flipped it out to Aliyah Boston, who missed a 3-pointer. Here’s the play in real time from the broadcast:

A replay showed that while Clark was on the ground, Thomas drove her knee into Clark’s thigh, then put her fist into Clark’s neck. Thomas was not called for a foul. 

“I just saw it. I’m not sure if it had any impact on her health or not, but it was egregious,” White said. “The fact that it was a no-call. I heard about it at halftime. I brought it to the attention of the officials at halftime, yet we still had 11 fouls in the fourth quarter to their two? They still shot 24 free throws in the second half? 

“Number one, you gotta call it. It’s absolutely egregious and utterly disrespectful,” White continued. “And then number two, you’re aware of what happened two nights ago, and that shit still happens? Absolutely unacceptable. Absolutely unacceptable. And the reckless closeout that they actually reviewed? And the foot still comes down on the defender’s foot that wasn’t upgraded? Absolutely disrespectful. We have a generational talent and a WNBA superstar who had two cheap shots right there that weren’t called. And I just say again: absolutely unacceptable.”

A few possessions later, Clark took a pass from Sophie Cunningham in semi-transition and pulled up for 3. Mercury forward Valeriane Ayayi got underneath her and was called for a landing space foul. The officials went to the monitor to review the play, but decided not to upgrade it to a flagrant. Clark was grabbing at her back in the aftermath, but remained in the game at that point. 

Wednesday’s incidents came after a physical matchup between the two teams on Monday, which the Fever won. Five players, including Thomas, Clark and DeWanna Bonner — who left the Fever under controversial circumstances last season — were called for technical fouls during that game, and Myisha Hines-Allen was ejected. 

Clark checked out of Wednesday’s game and went to the locker room with 5:15 remaining in the third quarter. She did not return, and finished with 19 points and eight assists in 20 minutes, ending her record streak of 20-point, five-assist outings at six games. 

“We spent all offseason looking at officiating. All offseason,” White said. “And I still say the one thing that we keep asking for is consistency. She is not called the same way everybody else is called.”

Caitlin Clark blasts refs over technical foul in Fever’s win: ‘You just don’t like competitive basketball’

Jack Maloney

Clark, who was limited to 13 games last season due to an array of lower-body injuries, has dealt with back issues all season. She went to the locker room during their opener to get her back adjusted, and later missed a game against the Portland Fire on May 20 due to her back, even though she had not been listed on the injury report. The Fever were issued a warning by the league, and Clark has since been continually listed as probable, though she has not missed any time since then. 

White said she wanted to come out and forcefully stick up for Clark after this game because the contact was “so egregious.” 

“The fist in the throat is crazy. It’s crazy. It’s dangerous,” White said. “The landing spot? When you went to review it, and she still comes down on top of another foot? I don’t know. Because to me that’s like a do-over on a test, how do you screw it up again? When you have these things continue to happen time and time and time and time again, eventually it gets frustrating.”