Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever suffered a humiliating 113-96 loss to Angel Reese and the Eastern Conference-leading Atlanta Dream on Saturday.
The Fever could not sustain their hot start, struggling to contain the Dream’s offense from the second quarter onward and suffering their seventh defeat in 16 games.
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The team’s latest breakdown also featured another episode of the simmering sideline tension between Clark and Indiana head coach Stephanie White, as the star player could not hide her frustration with the veteran mentor.
How the WNBA World Reacted to the Fever’s Loss to the Dream
Those miscues have sparked concerns in WNBA circles, with experts trying to piece together what went wrong for the Fever after the loss.
Various analysts covering the WNBA took to social media to criticize Indiana for its lack of defensive effort, which allowed Atlanta to mount a rally that put the Dream in full control of the Eastern Conference clash at State Farm Arena.
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Online sports commentator Jaime Lardis was displeased with the Fever’s latest defensive collapse and with most of their bench players’ inability to contribute consistently on both ends of the court.
“Forget it. I’m officially hitting the panic button on the Indiana Fever. There’s no paint presence, no defense, and Lexie has given us more smiles than production all season. Monique is just out there, and Sophie is the only bench player consistently making an impact,” Lardis wrote.
The analyst also noted Clark’s pairing with Kelsey Mitchell in the Fever backcourt. Though she did not directly blame White, Lardis urged the team to tweak the rotation or make roster moves before the trade deadline on August 2.
For his part, former sports columnist Jason Whitlock called the entire Indiana Fever team “average,” saying its defense was too soft to contain the Dream’s offensive surge. He added that the Fever were unable to contain Atlanta’s inside dominance and were inept at forcing turnovers.
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Whitlock also picked apart Clark, who committed 7 of the team’s 19 turnovers, one fewer than the entire Atlanta team committed in the game.
“Hot shooting in the first half masked all the Fever problems. When the shooting cooled, Indiana’s lack of defense and Caitlin’s turnover explosion exposed how much better the Dream are constructed. Indiana’s pieces don’t fit. Average team,” Whitlock posted.
Social media influencer and professional sports fan Ahmed echoed Lardis’ sentiment but invited his approximately 193,000 followers to comment on the matter.
“So…… is it time to push the panic button on the Indiana Fever or nah,” he asked.
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Another WNBA analyst, identified by the X handle Christan, handed the ball to the Fever front office to decide who, between Clark and White, they will spare for the Fever’s continued league existence.
“At some point, the Fever’s front office is going to have to make a decision on who it’s hitching its wagon to. It’s either the star player or the coach. Not sure what the disconnect is, but it’s been there from the start of the pairing and isn’t getting better X’s and O’s wise,” the analyst pointed out.
NBA/WNBA creator @BlameVenom singled out the ongoing drama between Clark and White as the primary reason for the team’s poor performance. Hehighlighted a third-quarter sequence when the Fever were still up, and the 6-foot-0 guard shook her head after a brief sideline exchange with her head coach.
Minutes later, Clark voiced her frustration to Fever assistant coach Austin Kelly during a timeout after the Dream took a 66-65 lead.
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Meanwhile, WNBA and Indiana Fever writer Robin Lundberg questioned the coaching staff about certain plays and urged them to let Clark operate.
“What are the Fever running? Give Caitlin Clark the ball,”Lundberg wrote.
Clark finished with 26 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, and 1 steal, but had 7 turnovers for Indiana.
The Fever scored 37 points in the first quarter, then put up 59 over the next three. Indiana shot 49% from the field but allowed Atlanta to set a franchise record for points in a game.
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Rhyne Howard led five Atlanta players in double figures with 24 points, while Allisha Gray added 22 for the Dream, who improved to 11-4. Reese finished with 18 points and 8 rebounds.
Indiana looks to bounce back from its two losses when it hosts the Phoenix Mercury on Monday, June 22, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
