Shaq rejects Barkley’s comments about pettiness surrounding Caitlin Clark
Shaquille O’Neal disagrees with Charles Barkley’s comments about the pettiness surrounding Caitlin Clark in the WNBA.
Sport in Seriousness
The WNBA has a new single-season assist record. Her name is Caitlin Clark.
Clark recorded nine assists in the Indiana Fever’s 78-74 loss to the Las Vegas Aces on Friday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, breaking Alyssa Thomas’ single-season assists record (316).
The Fever rookie already has 321 assists this year, with two games left in the regular season.
Clark struggled early on offense, not scoring a point in the first half, but she came into her own in the second half, scoring 18 points on 7-of-18 field shots, including 2-of-8 three-pointers, eight rebounds and a steal.
CAITLIN CLARK “likes” Taylor Swift’s support for Kamala Harris on social media
Clark got off to a slow start in the first half (0 of 5 FG, 0 of 2 3PT, 0 of 2 FT) and early foul trouble didn’t help her. Clark picked up three fouls in the first half. In one sequence – with 5:53 left in the first quarter – Clark missed two free throws, fouled the Aces’ Tiffany Hayes on the other side of the court and then received a technical foul after punching the side of the post in frustration. It was Clark’s sixth technical foul of the season. Clark’s next technical foul in the regular season will earn her a one-game suspension.
To make matters worse, the Fever lost forward Aliyah Boston for a while. She had to return to the locker room with 1:22 left in the first quarter after taking an elbow to the face. (Boston returned midway through the second quarter.)
The Fever scored 13 points in the first quarter, a season low. Despite the shooting woes, the Fever trailed the Aces by just eight points thanks to Kelsey Mitchell’s efforts. Mitchell single-handedly kept the Fever in the game with 19 points in the first half. She was the only Fever player to score more than five points.
The second half belonged to Clark, scoring a layup with 7:26 left in the third quarter. She found her rhythm and scored 14 points in the third quarter, bringing the Fever within three points (60-57). They were already 13 points down in the third quarter at the start of the fourth quarter.
With 23.3 seconds left in the game, the Fever were still three points behind, 75-72. Boston had a good chance to make a three, but the ball flew out of the basket.
The difference in the game was the free throws. The Fever only made 11 of 20 free throw attempts.
Mitchell finished with a team-best 20 points, while Boston added 14.
Chelsea Gray of the Aces led the game in scoring with 21 points, while Kelsey Plum added 18. A’ja Wilson had a double-double with 15 points and 17 rebounds.
