Caitlin Clark powers through ankle injury scare to tie another WNBA mark as Fever top Dream
Caitlin Clark showcased her superhero-like abilities in yet another contest.
The WNBA superstar powered through a rolled ankle early in the first quarter of the Indiana Fever’s 84-79 win over the Atlanta Dream and then proceeded to tie a WNBA record in a 19-point night for Clark.
The concerning moment occurred with 3:15 left in the first quarter when Clark appeared to roll her ankle while trying to get through a screen and she went to the ground clearly in pain.
Clark laid down on the ground as her teammates quickly came over to check on her as she held her left ankle.
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The Fever’s Caitlin Clark (22) lays on the court floor with an injury in the first half of an WNBA basketball game against the Dream on Aug. 26, 2024. AP
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Caitlin Clark on the bench with an injury during the Fever-Dream game on Aug. 26, 2024. AP
The team training staff checked Clark out and helped her off the court and onto the bench, where she stayed through the end of the quarter and then returned to the floor for the second quarter.
Following the game, Clark told reporters that she didn’t want to head to the locker room and just wanted to get re-tapped.
“I saw the replay, and I look really soft. It wasn’t that bad of a turn, but it hurt,” Clark told reporters. “Sometimes you just need to give yourself a second. If you ever sprained your ankle, it just kind of stings for a little bit. I was good.”
She added: “You’re not a real basketball player if you haven’t sprained your ankles a bunch. That’s when you know.”
Clark finished the game shooting 4-for-9 from 3-point range as she tied the WNBA rookie record for most 3’s with her 85th of the year off a stepback three with a little more than eight minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Caitlin Clark checked out of the Fever game after rolling her ankle on this play.
She returned to the game in the second quarter. pic.twitter.com/4ESZ7yv5ko
— ESPN (@espn) August 27, 2024
The record had been set by Rhyne Howard during her rookie season in 2022 and ironically, Howard had been guarding Clark at the time of her record-tying 3-pointer.
The Fever led for the entirety of the game on Monday night, even though Atlanta made things close at the end.
Clark shot 6-of-14 from the field and also pulled down seven rebounds and had seven assists in the Indiana win.
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Caitlin Clark during the Fever-Dream game on Aug. 26, 2024. NBAE via Getty
The ankle didn’t appear to bother Clark after she came back in and delivered several highlight-worthy plays, including a behind-the-back play to get by a defender for a layup in the third quarter.
Caitlin Clark vs the Dream:
19 points
7 assists
7 rebounds
2 steals
1 blockFEVER WIN pic.twitter.com/esxoF1i50d
— Clark Report (@CClarkReport) August 27, 2024
The win over the Dream was played at State Farm Arena after it had been moved from the Dream’s regular home of Gateway Center Arena to accommodate the larger-than-normal crowd on hand to see Clark play.
The Dream set an all-time franchise attendance record with 17, 608 fans on hand for the game.
“Obviously we know who Caitlin Clark is and her impact in this league, and especially this year,” Tina Charles of the Dream told reporters before the game.
