Mark your calendars, sports fans. Maybe the 2026 WNBA season has been flying under the radar for those who have been distracted by the NBA and NHL playoffs, but those two leagues are done for the summer — and there is a must-watch WNBA game less than two weeks away. And yes, of course it involves Caitlin Clark.
The big news this week was a physical beat-down that Clark suffered Wednesday night at the hands of Alyssa Thomas and the Phoenix Mercury. In a 111-109 loss, the Indiana Fever superstar took several hard hits — including what appeared to be a punch to the throat from Mercury star Alyssa Thomas. There was no call on the play, but the WNBA has since classified it a Flagrant 2, meaning Thomas will serve a one-game suspension.
Clark, meanwhile, exited Wednesday’s game early with a back injury and will miss Saturday night’s game against the Los Angeles Sparks.
Fortunately for Clark and the Fever, the injury is not considered serious and they have a week off before their next game.
But it’s not the July 5 contest against A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces that casual fans will keep an eye on. It’s the July 9 game in Phoenix against Thomas and the Mercury (10 p.m. ET, Prime Video). To say there might be a WWE-like feel on the court that night is an understatement.
Two nights before the game in which Clark was injured, the Fever beat the Mercury, 86-77, in a game that featured six technical fouls and an ejection.
After Wednesday’s game, Fever coach Stephanie White blasted officials for not keeping the peace.
“You’re coming in here aware of what happened two nights ago and that [explicit] still happens? Absolutely unacceptable,” White said in Wednesday’s post-game press conference. “We have a generational talent and a WNBA superstar who had two cheap shots right there that weren’t called, and I just say again, absolutely unacceptable.”
So yes, it’s safe to say the officials will be keeping a watchful eye on these teams when they meet again on July 9. Will the Fever and Mercury be on their best behavior, or will the bad blood reach a boiling point? Stay tuned.
