Caitlin Clark Scores 21 Before Exit in Fever Game Loss

Caitlin Clark put up 21 points in 16 minutes in the fever game, then left the Indiana Fever’s preseason matchup with the Dallas Wings in the third quarter after a hard foul on a 3-pointer. The Fever lost 95-80, but Clark said afterward she felt good after the landing.

Clark Leaves After Hard Foul

Clark exited at the 7:51 mark of the third quarter after landing on Dallas forward Alanna Smith’s foot and falling awkwardly. Officials reviewed the play and Smith was assessed a flagrant foul, while Clark made two of her three ensuing free throws before leaving.

She said after the game that she felt “good” and that she “just landed on my kneecap really hard.” Clark also said, “I thought the refs did a really good job (Thursday),” and added, “I know there was a committee of people that really wanted them to start calling things. … I thought they did a good job both ways.”

Fever Return to Home Floor

The game came 291 days after Clark last played in a home game for Indiana. She had been limited to 13 games, including eight home games, during an injury-riddled 2024 season after arriving as the No. 1 pick.

Before the injury scare, Clark had started fast at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. She scored the Fever’s first bucket on a driving layup, then hit a long 3-pointer, finishing 4-of-6 from the field and 11 of 13 from the line with four assists and two rebounds.

Azzi Fudd Debuts For Dallas

Azzi Fudd made her WNBA debut for Dallas and matched the moment with her first shot, a midrange jumper over Clark in the first quarter. She finished with 4 points on 2-of-7 shooting in 16 minutes and missed both of her 3-point attempts.

Stephanie White said Clark’s early exit had been planned as an extra precaution after she banged her knee. White called it “Certainly, a sigh of relief, but you can kind of see (the severity of the injury) in her face sometimes” and added, “It was like, ‘All right, she took (a hard foul).’”

For Indiana, the result and the health check mattered more than the final score. Clark got through only 16 minutes, but her return to a home floor and her ability to finish the night feeling “good” gave the Fever a cleaner read on the scare than the awkward fall first suggested.