Indiana Fever's guard Caitlin Clark was seen scoring 27 points and dishing 15 assists in Game 2, but she struggled with 18 points and 6-of-18 shooting in Game 3. In contrast, A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces put up a 36-point performance and killed off Indiana's season.

This drastic change in Clark’s form was not well-received. In his X post regarding the 94-83 loss, Skip Bayless broke down her game into two halves.

"Wish Caitlin had been a little more assertive in the second half - only 5 points, no assists. Yet especially in the 4th quarter, she asserted herself on DEFENSE. For the game, she wound up with two steals and four blocks. Nearly had another big late steal from A'ja,” Bayless said.

Clark notched 11 points in the first quarter but managed just seven in the remaining three quarters, committing six turnovers while dishing out only four assists. Two steals and four blocks completed her defensive performance.

Bayless then broadened his perspective from Clark to the whole series on X.

"The truth was, for the Fever, A'ja Wilson and Chelsea Gray were just too much, just wanted it more, just made too many veteran championship shots," Bayless said.

Wilson followed that up with 36 points on 11-of-18 shooting and 10 rebounds, while the Aces’ guard Chelsea Gray scored 23.

The Las Vegas team has now defeated Indiana in the postseason for two straight years, including a 2025 semifinal game that was decided in a Game 5 overtime.

Experience was another big difference between the two teams. Clark is only in her third WNBA season, 2025 having been reduced because of injury, and Wilson has already won MVP four times.

The Fever managed to bring their deficit down to two points twice in the fourth quarter.

This final effort came on the heels of a physical game, and the referee’s whistle took center stage immediately following the series.

Caitlin Clark Reacts to the Free Throw Gap After Elimination

Physical play was evident even in the free throw section. The Aces had 35 foul shots while the Fever were only awarded 20, a 15-attempt difference that immediately became the most glaring grievance after their elimination.

The head coach of the Fever, Stephanie White, mentioned this vast difference between the two teams in the postgame press conference, with Clark sitting right beside her on the dais.

This shows that 12 of Wilson's 36 points came from free throws.

During the post-game press conference in Las Vegas, a clearly irritated Clark responded to the remarks made by White with two words:

"Hmm, interesting," Clark said.

Suggestion: She spent 36 minutes in the game, committed five fouls, took four free throws (making three), and shot 18 field goals.

Now, Las Vegas will have to look ahead to the semifinal match with either the Dallas Wings or Golden State Valkyries, which starts Oct. 4.

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Written by

Utsav Gupta

Edited by

Utsav Gupta