Caitlin Clark missed her fourth straight game due to a left quadriceps strain, but that hasn’t kept her from supporting the Indiana Fever from the sidelines and joining them on the road. On Sunday, she was at United Center as the Fever faced Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky.
The game produced several major storylines: a 79-52 blowout win for the Fever, one of the worst losses in Sky franchise history; an apparent injury to Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot; and a record-setting crowd of 19,496 fans. But before tipoff, Clark sparked a viral moment that grabbed fans' attention.
Clark is known for frequently signing memorabilia for Fever supporters, but this time, a Sky fan tried to sneak in with a Chicago towel. Clark laughed and kept walking, brushing off the moment as fans online reacted with humor.
One said:
“She could smell that s**t.”
“Keep that stink away from CC,” another said.
Here were more fan reactions to the now-viral snub:
Despite Clark, Sophie Cunningham and coach Stephanie White being out, the Fever cruised to a dominant victory with Kelsey Mitchell leading the team with 17 points, followed by Natasha Howard with 13 and Aliyah Boston with 11. Off the bench, Aari McDonald added 12.
With this win, Indiana has now outscored Chicago by a combined 62 points in their two meetings this season.
When will Caitlin Clark return?
Speaking to media on June 5, Caitlin Clark said she expects to be reevaluated after the weekend. She has been sidelined since the May 24 loss to the New York Liberty.
“I feel like I’ve made a lot of progress, and I feel good, and I’m not going to rush coming back,” she said. “It’s just not worth it. But after this weekend, I’ll be reevaluated and we’ll have a better idea of when I’ll return.
“We’ll see. We’re trying not to put an exact date out there, because it is kind of a day-by-day thing and see how I feel.”
Caitlin Clark could possibly return as early as June 10 against the Atlanta Dream. If not, the Fever’s next game is June 14 — coincidentally against the same Liberty team during which she was injured.