WNBA: Indiana Fever at New York Liberty

Basketball fans react to the bruises on Caitlin Clark’s knees and elbows.

Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever had very little left in the tank when they took on the New York Liberty on the road. Coming off an emotional 71-70 win against the Chicago Sky on Saturday, the Fever were run off the floor in Brooklyn less than 24 hours later. Indiana couldn’t recover from a 31-13 first-quarter whipping to eventually lose 104-68.

Clark played 29 minutes but was held to a career-low three points on 1-10 shooting, including 1-for-7 from behind the arc. The WNBA’s Rookie of the Month in May had the same number of turnovers as points to underline her struggles.

While seated on the bench as the Liberty’s rout of the Fever went on, a photo of Caitlin Clark with bruises on her knees and elbows quickly became viral.

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Fans promptly reacted to the said image:

“She dealing with prison rules now”

One fan quickly pointed out that the bruises would not matter:

“She makes millions..she’ll be fine ..she no hurt”

Another fan thought everything was par for the course:

“What comes alongside the journey to greatness”

@KaiHypko is fearful of what might happen in the future:

“Given her playing schedule and the hits she is taking, she might not be long for the league before a major injury creeps up.”

Another fan called out the “abuse” Clark has received:

“This is the abuse she got for carried the entire league on her shoulders and they still jealous of her. Insane!!”

The photo of Caitlin Clark having bruises comes after the controversial hit she took from Chicago’s Chennady Carter. The WNBA recently announced that it had upgraded Carter’s shoulder bump to Flagrant Foul 1 instead of a common foul. Social media is still buzzing with all sorts of narratives after the said incident.

Sabrina Ionescu isn’t worried about Caitlin Clark’s showing on Sunday

One of those who gave Caitlin Clark a tough time on Sunday was Sabrina Ionescu. The New York Liberty guard had a hand in forcing Clark to have an awful night shooting the ball. Ionescu’s size and physicality made it difficult for Indiana’s diminutive star to get clean looks at the basket.

After the game, Ionescu shared her thoughts about Clark’s worst game as a pro:

“They came off a back-to-back so it’s a little bit tough… but she’ll figure it out. It’s not that big of a deal to have a game like that.”

The Fever have had a tough schedule to open the 2024 season. Six of their first 11 games were on the road, including two sets of back-to-back games. They are finally getting a much-deserved break, though, as they don’t play until Friday. By then, Clark’s bruises will likely be gone.

With the rest, basketball fans could see Caitlin Clark playing her usual game.