The Indiana Fever‘s recent struggles have put Caitlin Clark under the microscope, and her latest performance against the New York Liberty has sparked another wave of criticism.
The Fever were within striking distance of the Liberty on Saturday night, but a series of missed opportunities prevented the Fever from completing the comeback.
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Caitlin Clark’s Missed Free Throws Draw Criticism
Indiana eventually fell to New York, 102-109, at Barclays Center, dropping their second consecutive game after previously winning five straight.
Clark finished with a strong all-around performance of 21 points on 9/18 shooting from the field with 7 assists, but her late-game mistakes became the focus of the loss afterward.
With the Fever trailing by five in the final 20 seconds, Clark was put to the free-throw line and missed both attempts. The Liberty then came back and converted on the other end, effectively putting the game out of reach.
“Back-to-back games, these losses are on Caitlin Clark. Gotta call it how I see it,” one user boldly claimed.
The criticism came despite Clark providing plenty of offense and playmaking throughout the game.
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With fellow All-Star teammate Kelsey Mitchell leading Indiana with 25 points on the night, another fan questioned whether she has become the more reliable offensive option for the team.
“Kelsey Mitchell is really better than Caitlin Clark, it’s not even close,” another commented.
Another user took that criticism further by comparing Clark’s efficiency with Mitchell’s performance.
“Here you go.. Caitlin Clark fans, CC is back to shot chucking and shooting the most on the team.. and Indiana Fever still didn’t win, and still less efficient than Mitchell. Dry your tears you can stop sulking now!”
Clark’s missed free throws were especially notable because Indiana struggled from the line, shooting just 11-of-22 from the charity stripe. On the other hand, New York converted 24 of their 29 attempts.
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“Fever fans want refs to Call fouls on Caitlin Clark just for her to go to the line & miss Free Throws,” one person said.
“Oh so ya’ll was going in on Angel for missing that shot against Indiana… well Caitlin Clark just missed both FTs in clutch time AGAIN,” another WNBA observer mentioned.
The timing of Clark’s misses made the sequence particularly damaging. The Fever were still within a possession late in the fourth quarter before the Liberty gained enough separation to close out the victory.
“Caitlin Clark just missed 2 free throws in the final 20 seconds of a five-point game. Simply can’t happen,” Brett James stated.
The criticism was not just limited to Clark’s shooting or mistakes, however. Another account argued that her emotional reaction during the game also contributed to the defeat.
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“I don’t know, man but being a Caitlin Clark fan must be exhausting. She lost them this game by losing her temper.”
While the Fever’s 11-of-22 shooting from the line shows that the problem extends beyond their superstar guard, the Liberty surged to a 23-15 record thanks to a 22-point effort from Breanna Stewart and Leonie Fiebich contributing 20.
Indiana remains in a strong playoff position at 24-14 after the game, but their latest loss has exposed areas they need to clean up.
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Free-throw shooting, late-game execution, and managing emotions under pressure will be the main focus as the Fever will have little room for similar mistakes come the postseason.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.
