Caitlin Clark eager to move forward after Fever's scuffle with Sun
Social Sharing
Caitlin Clark has no interest in rehashing Indiana's physical, testy win against Connecticut when she was shoved to the floor by Marina Mabrey.
Mabrey's hit on Clark in Tuesday night's game was upgraded to a flagrant 2 on Wednesday.
"I think Steph [Fever coach Stephanie White] talked about it plenty after the last game and it is what it is, you move on," Clark said Thursday before playing the Golden State Valkyries in her first visit to San Francisco. "My focus is just on tonight."
Jacy Sheldon poked Clark in the eye in the third quarter and the Fever star cringed while grabbing at her face. Sheldon then chest bumped her before Clark pushed back and Mabrey got involved by bumping Clark to the floor.
A sellout crowd has been anticipating Clark's stop in the Bay Area with the game circled on the calendar for the expansion team from the day the schedule was released. It comes two days after the Fever's 88-71 home win against the Sun featuring three late ejections and further discipline.
Clark has been studying Stephen Curry from afar and taking notice of how the Warriors superstar deals with swarming, physical defences and regular double teams — much like what Clark sees every night.
Clark realizes she will face a top defender and her share of hits with all attention on her.
"Steph is somebody I've watched and watched a lot of film, I try to watch as many Warriors games as I can just because I love the way he plays and there's so much I can learn from him," she said. "But I think when you look at Steph and something I remember from the first time I actually watched him in person is how strong he is physically. He's built, he really is. I think that also kind of showed me going into Year 2 is how much time I really needed to put into the weight room to be able to play at this level of physicality and also not get tired through the course of a game."
Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase planned to put a body on Clark at every chance to make things tougher on her, even from way out.
Clark is averaging 21.3 points and 8.7 assists while shooting 40 per cent from 3-point range.
"Obviously you've got to pick her up higher, she shoots from the logo so you can't pick her up at the logo just because again that's a super comfortable shot," Nakase said. "It's almost like a layup to her. You'll see her going to her left so we've just got to be aware."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
Panthers' Sam Bennett bleepin' says he's staying with Cup champions
Article content Sam Bennett 'ain't f—ing leaving.' Article content His words. Not ours. Article content Article content During a Florida Panthers Stanley Cup celebration party in Miami on Thursday night, Bennett, on stage with teammate Sam Reinhart, indicated to a frenzied crowd that he's going to re-sign with the Panthers rather than hit free agency on July 1. Article content Via text on Friday morning, Bennett's agent, Darren Ferris, told us no new contract with the Panthers was done. Article content Article content 'It was an incredible and emotional night for the Panthers and well-deserved,' Ferris said. 'The celebrations have been amazing to see, and Sam's just taking it all in with his teammates right now. Article content 'At this time, no contract has been signed — when there's something official, we'll share it accordingly.' Article content Panthers general manager Bill Zito said on Tuesday night after the Panthers beat the Edmonton Oilers to repeat as Cup champions that he thinks he can bring back all three of the club's bold-face potential free agents — Bennett, Brad Marchand and Aaron Ekblad. Article content At the least, expect Bennett talks between Ferris and Zito to pick up. Article content Along with Mitch Marner (another Ferris client), Bennett would be at the top of the free-agent list. Article content After winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoffs MVP, Bennett is line for a major bump in pay. The centre, who is celebrating his 29th birthday on Friday, is coming off a four-year contract that carried an average annual value of $4.425 million US. Article content Article content Another substantial name came off the free-agent board on Thursday when Matt Duchene, who had 82 points in 82 games last season with the Dallas Stars, signed a four-year pact to remain in Dallas. Duchene's AAV is $4.5 million, leading some to speculate that the Leafs could retain John Tavares with a similar AAV. It's likely too low to keep Tavares in Toronto, no matter the length of a potential contract. Article content As for a union between the Leafs and Bennett, as much as he represent a major alteration to the club's DNA that general manager Brad Treliving seeks, don't count on it. In the small chance (seemingly) that Bennett goes to the open market, he reportedly doesn't have interest in signing with Toronto. Article content
National Post
2 hours ago
- National Post
Up Close: Meet Roughriders receiver KeeSean Johnson
Article content Article content Any game-day superstitions? Article content 'Since I had children, I have to talk to my children before I go out there and play, before I leave the locker room … That's who I do it for, obviously. That's what I strive for is to give them the best life. Article content 'I talk to my mom, talk to my dad. Me and my mom, we say our prayer together; me and my dad, we talk ball together. Article content What would you be doing if you weren't playing football? Article content 'If wasn't playing football, I would probably be coaching or probably helping somewhere with the youth, doing something in that form. Article content 'That's always something I enjoy is spending time with younger kids and being able to give them something positive and showing them a positive role model. Article content 'Growing up in a tougher area, obviously you see different things, and you can still, you know, the sky's the limit. You can do whatever you want, whatever you put your mind to. No one tells you no other than yourself.' Article content 'No, my mom worked so hard to take that stress off of me and just let me and my brother be kids when we were kids and let us focus on school. Article content Article content 'She worked really hard. That was something that she always took pride in, working really hard and making sure if we do good, we get things that we want. And that's what I kind of try to throw into my kids now — as long as you do what you need to do, I can provide for your life and take stress off you to have you focus on what you what your goals are.' Article content Article content 'I'm pretty good at bowling. I can say that. I got into that when I was in Philly. One of my teammates, him and his mom took it really serious. Article content 'I went with them one day and it was like, 'OK, I'm not good at bowling, like at all.' And then it's kind of just, the competitor in me, started to just go, ended up buying my own balls and figuring it out. And now I'm pretty good at bowling. Article content 'When I'm back home, me and my boys, we tend to have a day here and there to go out and bowl.' Article content What else should people know about you? Article content 'I'm very competitive. I don't like losing. Losing is something that's not in me; I could take it, but it's not in me. Article content Article content 'I don't like losing; don't like being wrong. I like to go out there and I try to do my best to be right. I try to do my best on the football field. Article content 'In life, there's obviously ways that you can be wrong and learn different things, but on the football field, I try to do my assignments (and) make sure I know my assignments.' Article content
CTV News
4 hours ago
- CTV News
Pacers roll past Thunder 108-91 to send the NBA Finals to a deciding Game 7
Indiana Pacers guard Ben Sheppard (26) and forward Obi Toppin (1) celebrate during the second half of Game 6 of the NBA Finals basketball series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Thursday, June 19, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) INDIANAPOLIS -- Season on the line, the Indiana Pacers did what they've done time and time again. They bucked the odds. And the NBA Finals are going to an ultimate game. Obi Toppin scored 20 points, Andrew Nembhard added 17 and the Pacers forced a winner-take-all Game 7 by rolling past the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-91 on Thursday night. The first Game 7 in the NBA Finals since 2016 is Sunday night in Oklahoma City. 'The ultimate game,' Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. Pascal Siakam had 16 points and 13 rebounds for Indiana, while Tyrese Haliburton -- playing through a strained calf -- scored 14 points. The Pacers started slowly and then turned things into a blowout. Game 6 was a microcosm of Indiana's season in a way. The Pacers started the regular season with 15 losses in 25 games, have had five comebacks from 15 or more down to win games in these playoffs, and they're one win from a title. 'We just wanted to protect home court,' Haliburton said. 'We didn't want to see these guys celebrate a championship on our home floor. Backs against the wall and we just responded. ... Total team effort.' TJ McConnell, the spark off the bench again, finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and six assists for Indiana. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 21 points for the Thunder, who pulled their starters after getting down by 30 going into the fourth. Jalen Williams added 16. 'Credit Indiana,' Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. 'They earned the win. They outplayed us for most of the 48 minutes. They went out there and attacked the game.' Good news for the Thunder: home teams are 15-4 in finals Game 7s. Bad news for the Thunder: Cleveland won at Golden State in the most recent of those and one of the three other home-team losses was in 1978 -- by Seattle, the franchise that would move to Oklahoma City three decades later. Indiana missed its first eight shots and got down 10-2. The arena, roaring just a few minutes before at the start, quieted quickly. Hall of Famer Reggie Miller, sitting courtside in a Jalen Rose Pacers jersey, was pacing, kneeling, generally acting more nervous than he ever seemed as a player. No need. After the slow start, the Pacers outscored the Thunder 68-32 over the next 24 minutes. An Indiana team that hadn't led by more than 10 points at any time in the first five games -- and that double-digit lead was brief -- led by 28 early in the third quarter. The margin eventually got to 31, which was Oklahoma City's second-biggest deficit of the season. The worst also came in these playoffs: a 45-point hole against Minnesota in the Western Conference finals. The Thunder came back to win that series, obviously, and now will need that bounce-back ability one more time. 'Obviously, it was a very poor performance by us,' Daigneault said. The Thunder, desperate for a spark, put Alex Caruso in the starting lineup in place of Isaiah Hartenstein to open the second half. There was no spark. In fact, there was nothing whatsoever -- neither team scored in the first 3:53 after halftime, the sides combining to miss their first 13 shots of the third quarter. And the outcome was never in doubt. By Tim Reynolds
