“I think that Indiana is even more dangerous when Caitlin Clark doesn’t play,” sportscaster Carolyn Peck had famously said after Indiana started winning a few games without their talisman. Well, that didn’t turn out to be the case for the Fever tonight in front of 17,371 fans at the Barclays Center. The home crowd got to witness the Liberty dismantle a Caitlin Clark-less Indiana Fever 98-77. But looks like it wasn’t just the Fever missing their star player.
It was an offensive disaster for the Indiana Fever, shooting just 36.8% from the field. Now you could very well argue that Caitlin, who is herself shooting 30.7% from the field and 24.3% from beyond the arc, wouldn’t have made much difference, and you wouldn’t be wrong. But Caitlin has always impacted the game in other ways, too.
Since coming back from her groin injury, Caitlin has contributed 35 assists, 20 rebounds, and 6 steals in her last 4 games. To put it in context, tonight against the Liberty, the Fever had 14 fewer assists than the defending champions. The offensive struggles have a lot to do with Caitlin not being able to run it from the point guard position. Seems like that presence is something Coach Brondello would have liked to face.
Talking about Clark in the post-game conference, the Liberty coach said, “Yeah, you never want to see a player get injured. And a player like Caitlin, who’s already come back from a few injuries this year… she’s a great player. It would have been good for our crowd to see her, but I hope they get to see her post All-Star and get to play her again.”
The last time Caitlin played against the Liberty, it was in the Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Funny enough, her first injury of the season came after facing New York — and she made her return from that very injury against the same team. But what a comeback it turned out to be. Clark dropped 32 points, drained seven threes, and powered the Fever to a dominant 102-88 win. But before Brondello faces that challenge once again, she is all in for the opportunity to team up with the 23-year-old guard for the All-Star weekend.
“I’m excited to get to know her a little bit. I think that’s part of the All-Star, coaching players you haven’t coached before and just enjoying the celebration,” she added.
Liberty coach Sandy Brondello on Caitlin Clark missing tonight’s game pic.twitter.com/0R3SPpCJvY
— Robin Lundberg (@robinlundberg) July 16, 2025
With just days to go, Coach Brondello is gearing up to lead Team Caitlin at the event. It’ll offer a fun glimpse into what it might look like if Clark ever played under the guidance of a championship-winning coach. That is, of course, if she is healthy enough to suit up.
Talking about injuries, Stephanie White was adamant that the Fever would be fine without their talisman if she is sidelined for an extended period of time.
Stephanie White on the Fever managing without Caitlin Clark
Caitlin Clark has already missed 11 of the 23 games played this season. Following the loss to the Liberty, the Fever now hold a 5-6 record without her on the court. Yet, heading into the game against the Liberty, Coach White sounded confident in her side’s ability to compete against the defending champions.
“But this group has played without her. At least we’ve got experience in that. We know that we have a tough opponent in New York. We know that it’s going to be a challenge no matter what, and we just got to get locked in and ready to compete,” Coach White said.
There is every reason to be confident about the roster Coach White has at her disposal. Why wouldn’t she? This is the same team that won the 2025 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup without Clark! That too against the best team in the league! So, while Caitlin recovers from her latest setback, it will be interesting to see if she can make it in time for the All-Star games!
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