‘Nasty Work,’ ‘Show the FGAs and TOs’ — WNBA World Pounces on Fever for Touting Caitlin Clark’s Uneven Stat Line After Costly Home Loss
· Yahoo Sports
The Indiana Fever suffered a costly 93-77 loss at home against the Washington Mystics, putting a dent in their home-court advantage hopes in the postseason. Caitlin Clark finished with 25 points, 5 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block.
However, the Fever’s social media post, which omitted the three-time All-Star’s inefficiency, left WNBA fans frustrated.
Visit playerbros.org for more information.
Fever’s Caitlin Clark Stat Post Leaves WNBA Fans Frustrated
Indiana is fighting to lock up a top-four seed to secure home-court advantage in Round 1 of the playoffs. Instead of seizing the moment, the Fever were thoroughly outplayed from the opening tip, falling behind 34-19 in the first quarter while Clark showed clear frustration on the floor.
Clark had once again entered the matchup listed as “probable” on the official injury report, a familiar sight throughout this season, before getting the start and playing nearly 34 minutes.
But she struggled heavily with her shot, finishing 6-of-20 from the floor and 3-of-10 from three. She also had a game-high 5 turnovers and a game-worst plus-minus of -14.
Despite the ugly loss and rough night, the Fever’s social media team posted a graphic highlighting Clark’s performance, sparking criticism for cherry-picking her stats.
One fan called out the rough shooting efficiency, writing: “29% FG.. on 20 shots and 10 FT’s Nasty work”
One user made sure to separate their fandom from the harsh truth of the game, writing: “Love CC, but she had a horrible shooting night”
Another took aim at the messy offense and head coach Stephanie White, writing: “How many WILD passes, I lost count? Defense was horrible … Sorry, White is getting out-coached @IndianaFever … Mystics came to play and wanted it more than the Fever”
Another X user demanded that the team show the full picture, writing, “Show the FGAs and TOs”
One fan also took a shot at the team’s misplaced priorities. “Player over team. Player over wins,” they wrote.
The loss could not have come at a worse time, as the result means the Fever remain in fifth place at 27-15, one game behind the Atlanta Dream for fourth. The New York Liberty, the Mystics, and Dallas Wings are all 26-16, meaning Indiana has little room for error.
To make matters tougher, Clark’s team finishes the regular season with two games against the league-leading Minnesota Lynx (32-10).
The Lynx are not completely invincible, though, having lost three straight games before beating the Connecticut Sun 101-89 on Sunday. Napheesa Collier scored 23 points in that win, while rookie Olivia Miles added 21 to break Clark’s rookie scoring record.
Indiana will host a red-hot Minnesota team on Tuesday before traveling to Minneapolis for the regular-season finale on Thursday. After Sunday’s performance, White’s team will need to fight out of their skins if they are to lock in a favorable seeding.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.