The Indiana Fever beat the Phoenix Mercury 86-77 on Monday night, but what stood out most was the bad blood between the two squads. Lost amid the chaos was another dominant performance from Caitlin Clark, who finished with 24 points and nine assists to help Indiana secure the win.
With seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, Clark and Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner got locked up on a physical possession.
Bad blood instantly boiled over.
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Caitlin Clark fires up the home crowd as the Fever battle the Mercury in Indianapolis. (Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) ((Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images))
Clark stood her ground, the two exchanged words, and officials hit Clark with her fifth technical foul of the season.
Clark and Bonner famously got into it during a physical postseason clash in 2024, including shoves and swipes.
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Add Bonner’s brief and messy stint as Clark’s teammate in Indiana before forcing her way out of town, and the volatility wasn’t exactly surprising.
“Enforcer” Fever guard Sophie Cunningham didn’t sit and watch her superstar get pushed around.
Before the Clark-Bonner scene, Cunningham stepped into the confrontation and pointed directly at Bonner, who continued barking at officials as teammates tried to pull her away.
Cameras later caught Cunningham laughing as Bonner’s meltdown escalated, and both players were hit with technical fouls.
Sophie Cunningham prepares for battle, warming up before the Fever host the Mercury. (Photo by A.J. Mast/NBAE via Getty Images) ((Photo by A.J. Mast/NBAE via Getty Images))
Mercury star and Bonner’s girlfriend Alyssa Thomas rushed in to defend Bonner. Indiana forward Myisha Hines-Allen jumped into the scrum.
The refs started handing out technical fouls like free samples, slapping Thomas and Hines-Allen with a double technical.
Seconds later, Hines-Allen decided she was done talking and shoved Bonner. Because she had already been assessed a technical foul moments earlier, the shove counted as her second of the night, earning an automatic ejection.
One of Caitlin Clark’s biggest nemeses happens to be a former teammate. (Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images) ((Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images))
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All the whistles, reviews and ejections turned the final period into an absolute marathon. The fourth quarter alone stretched to 44 minutes.
When asked about the chippy ending, Clark kept her focus on the officiating and the game’s stop-and-start pace.
“Obviously I appreciate the refs just calling the fouls,” Clark said.
She also joked that the game might be on record for the longest fourth quarter in WNBA history.
Despite the chaos threatening to derail Indiana’s momentum, Clark made sure the Fever stayed focused on the only thing that mattered.
“Just stay focused on the goals,” Clark added. “That’s to win the game.”
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WNBA rivalries and personalities … Monday night’s showdown delivered plenty of both.
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