Clark is fine after an early exit from the Fever’s preseason home opener

Indianapolis — Caitlin ClarkeThe first home game in more than nine months was supposed to be a celebration.

Instead, he gave Indiana fever And a fear of fans Thursday night.

Clark fell to the ground early in the third quarter Dallas ahead Alana Smith He was bumped in the leg on a shot attempt, and then limped toward the bench while walking off the hit during a replay review that resulted in a flagrant 1 call. The two-time All-Star then made two free throws before exiting and watching the rest of the game from the bench.

“I feel good,” Clark said after scoring 21 points in a 95-80 loss to the Wings. “I know there’s a committee of guys that really wanted them (the refs) to start calling things, and I thought they did a great job of that. Honestly, I thought the refs were great and it’s the preseason so you’re probably going to see more fouls. I expect that number to decrease. But I think overall, it’s going to improve the product.”

Initially, it looked like little had changed since Clark last suited up at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on July 13, when the Fever beat Dallas.

The pregame autograph line stretched through the seats, No. 22 jerseys and Clark T-shirts were as fashionable Thursday night as his record-breaking rookie season and, naturally, Clark was greeted with the usual loud cheers during player introductions.

Of course, it was only a pre-season game, but it featured the league’s award winners of the last two years – Clarke and Paige Bueckers. Yet Fever fans had longed for the moment since Clark went down on July 15 with a right groin injury that forced her to miss the All-Star Game and All-Star Weekend festivities in Indianapolis, as well as Indiana’s final 22 regular-season games and its improbable run to the WNBA semifinals.

Clark first returned to the court for Team USA in a FIBA ​​Women’s World Cup qualifier in early March, then helped the Fever open the preseason with a 109-91 win in New York despite a 2-for-10 shooting performance.

This time, Clark seemed more like himself. He scored 14 of his 21 points in the first quarter, had four assists, three turnovers and two rebounds while going 4 of 6 from the field and 11 of 13 at the free throw line in 16 minutes.

“We planned for him to come out of that period anyway,” coach Stephanie White said. “It was an extra precaution to get her out at that point, but the plan was to start her third trimester and then get her out quickly.”

White also held the All-Star Center Aliyah Boston Second straight game with lower leg injury. All-Star Guard Kelsey Mitchell Finished with 10 points in 17 minutes.

Not everyone came to see Clark, though.

Buekers’ jersey also featured fan bewilderment, and he dazzled the crowd by scoring 20 points in 20 minutes on 8-of-12 shooting. the rookie Benefit todayThe No. 1 overall draft pick, added four points in 16 minutes as the Wings used a 22-5 second quarter run to take control with a 53-26 lead. They never followed back.

It remains to be seen whether that could be a major improvement over last season’s 10-win team.

And although there were plenty of empty seats Thursday night, a rarity when Clark takes the stage, longtime Clark fans welcomed the chance to get an early look at what they hope will be a big season.