Late in the first quarter of the Indiana Fever’s 102-88 win over the New York Liberty on Saturday afternoon, Caitlin Clark took an outlet pass from Sydney Colson and walked into a 33-foot heave that caught nothing but net. She turned and screamed at the crowd, which quickly got on its feet.
The fans barely had a chance to sit down over the next 40 seconds, as Clark buried two more extremely deep 3s, one from 27 feet and another from 31 feet. The barrage, which helped turn around an early double-digit deficit for the Fever, was one of the best moments of Clark’s young professional career.
“I took one in transition, that’s where I like to get to early,” Clark said. “It’s always good to see the ball go through the hoop. Then I came down and shot another one, then I came down and shot another one and saw three in a row go in, and that gives you a lot of confidence.”
With Caitlin Clark and Tyrese Haliburton leading Fever and Pacers, Indy has become center of basketball world
Jack Maloney
Clark, who was playing for the first time since May 24, and had missed the Fever’s last five games with a quad strain, showed no signs of rust. She finished with 32 points, eight rebounds and nine assists, and tied a career-high with seven 3-pointers.
Three of her triples were from at least 30 feet, and the total distance on her seven makes from behind the arc was 199 feet.
“I think you’re just anxious to get out there and get playing again,” Clark said of her long-awaited return.
Prior to this absence, she had played in 185 consecutive games dating back to her freshman season at Iowa.
“I felt really good. There were a few periods where I felt a little tired, I asked for a sub there in the second quarter and Steph got me a quick one, but other than that my legs felt really strong. I felt in good shape.”
The Fever, who went 2-3 in Clark’s absence, were certainly glad to see her back on the floor running the show on the offensive end. So, too, was one LeBron James, who posted “The CC EFFECT!! WELCOME BACK! You were missed!” on social media.
With Clark’s electric return in the books, let’s rank her career-high-tying seven 3-pointers.
7. An open catch-and-shoot look (26 feet)
Early in the second quarter, Clark started to drive, hit the paint and kicked it out to Sydney Colson. In a moment of confusion, no one on the Liberty picked Clark up after she gave up the ball. She calmly relocated to the arc, took a pass back from Colson and drained a practice-level shot.
6. A smooth hand-off (25 feet)
Clark’s last 3-pointer of the day came in the third quarter. The Fever were running a horns set, which give Clark plenty of options, and as she crossed halfcourt, she tossed the ball to Aliyah Boston. Then, Clark sprinted into a hand-off and took the ball back from her center. Natasha Cloud went under the screen from Boston and Isabelle Harrison didn’t step out in time, which resulted in an easy rhythm shot for Clark.
5. Too much range (27 feet)
Late in the second quarter, Clark was off the ball while Kelsey Mitchell ran a high pick-and-roll with Boston. As Mitchell came off the screen, Boston dove and screened Cloud, who had sunk into the paint to help. Clark floated to the wing, and Mitchell hit her with a crisp cross-court pass. Sabrina Ionescu, who had been in the corner, rotated over to try and help, but was unable to get to Clark in time because she was so far behind the line. If Clark had been at a normal range, she wouldn’t have gotten the shot off.
4. A serious heat check (27 feet)
After Clark had made her first triple of the day, she immediately spotted an opportunity to take another one. On the ensuing possession, she noticed Cloud sitting back ever so slightly and decided to just pull up from 27 feet. To be honest, this one didn’t seem six feet shorter than her first triple of the day. In any case, it was still a ridiculous shot to hit after stopping on a dime.
3. The first 3 of the day (33 feet)
The Fever got off to a slow start and were still down by six late in the first quarter. That’s when Clark took an outlet pass from Colson with some open court in front of her. She was able to take a dribble to get herself into rhythm, then launched from 33 feet. This shot was reminiscent of the one she hit in college to break the Division I women’s scoring record, which she then recreated during the Fever’s win over Brazil at Carver-Hawkeye Arena during the preseason.
2. A step-back in a legend’s face (30 feet)
In the middle of the second quarter, Clark was feeling it. After running off a stagger screen, she got Breanna Stewart on a switch and called for an iso. She waved everyone away from the play, but instead of trying to use her speed to get by Stewart and collapse the defense, she started moving farther away from the basket. Then, suddenly, she launched a step-back 3 right in Stewart’s face. All either one of them could do was laugh as they made their way back down the court.
1. The ultimate heat check (31 feet)
After Clark had made the first two 3s in her flurry, every single person in the arena and watching on TV knew that she wanted to take a heat check. That included the Liberty, who were fighting over screens and trying to meet her at the level more than 30 feet from the basket.
It still didn’t matter, as Clark found a sliver of space and let it fly. The crowd, which was already on its feet, erupted in joy.
