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The Indiana Fever got back their star guard Caitlin Clark in their game against the Golden State Valkyries, but they still were not able to get the win, losing 80-61. It was a rough loss for the Fever, as they shot 31% from the field and 22% from the 3-point line. On the other hand, the Valkyries were able to get what they wanted, and Kayla Thornton and Veronica Burton were the two highest scorers.
In Clark's return, she finished the game with 10 points, five rebounds, and six assists, while shooting 4-for-12 from the field. The Valkyries have now beaten the Fever twice this season, and after the game, Clark shared what she thinks went wrong in this loss.
“It starts on the defense, we struggled…we struggled to do what the coarse asked of us. We played with poor energy and effort those are things that can’t happen,” Clark said.
Clark also spoke about her return to the court.
“I felt pretty good…just trying to get my legs underneath me…and get my wind back, which will happen in the next few games,” Clark said.
The Fever have now lost two games in a row, but they've been a team that has been able to bounce back in moments like this.
Caitlin Clark returns in loss against Valkyries
Clark has missed the past five games for the Fever with a left groin injury, but she was able to finally return against the Valkyries. She didn't have the best game in her return, but head coach Stephanie White was impressed with what she saw.
“I thought there was times she looked really good..especially the first play of the game…maybe I'm naive, I dont worry about Caitlin Clark getting into the flow offensively…when we reintegrate her, how do we continue to keep our ball movement…I was little bit concerned defensively but I thought she looked good at times…I was pleased,” White said.
White also kept Aari McDonald in the lineup, deploying a two-guard system.
“I like the ability to have two primary (ball handlers) on the floor…being able to give the opponent different looks. Quite frankly for C (Caitlin) especially not having to have her play under duress 94 feet…we’ll continue to work on that,” White said.
Once Clark gets acclimated, the Fever should be back to their winning ways, but first, it sounds like they need to get back to how they used to play defensively.
