Caitlin Clark put on another impressive performance Tuesday night, but the Indiana Fever’s narrow 91-90 loss to the Atlanta Dream was overshadowed by a hotly debated coaching decision in the game’s final seconds.
With less than ten seconds remaining and trailing by a single point, Fever head coach Stephanie White chose to make Clark the inbound passer instead of giving her the opportunity to take the final shot.
Clark, who had already tallied 27 points, 11 assists, and five rebounds, was left watching from the sideline as her teammate Natasha Howard took the decisive shots. Howard’s initial attempt was blocked, and her follow-up jumper missed, sealing Indiana’s first defeat of the season.
Coaching call backfires amid fan uproar
Fans quickly voiced their frustration online, directing much of their criticism toward White’s choice to keep the ball out of Clark’s hands during such a pivotal moment.
The strategy to use the reigning Rookie of the Year as an inbounder, rather than as a scoring option, was met with widespread confusion and backlash.
One social media user wrote, “Garbage last play call what the f*** was that.” Another added, “CC not getting the last shot is crazy.” A third echoed the sentiment: “So the worst shooter on the team gets the ball, and best player stands on the sideline. The worst set up of all time.”
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy also weighed in, saying, “Somebody needs to explain to me why Caitlin Clark inbounded that ball at end of the game. Shouldn’t it be in her hands to end it? The new crew needs to be way better. Caitlin and Aliyah were awesome. Lexi + Kelsey were good. All the new players kinda sucked.”
Statistically, the choice didn’t hold up. Howard, who took the last shot, ended the night with just six points on 3-of-9 shooting-far less efficient than Clark, who led all scorers and displayed playmaking throughout the game.
Clark’s usage late in games is likely to remain a topic of discussion if such trends continue. As one of the most high-profile players in the WNBA, expectations for her to be the go-to scorer in crunch time are high-not just among fans, but across the basketball community.
The Fever will now look to regroup as they aim to bounce back in upcoming matchups. But the lingering questions about late-game decision-making could shadow the team’s performance until fans see a strategy that puts the ball where they believe it belongs – in Caitlin Clark’s hands when it matters most.
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