Dave Portnoy highlights Fever difference after | Sports News

Dave Portnoy stayed stable to his Caitlin Clark allegiance no matter what the box rating says after the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year added simply 11 factors within the group’s Thursday win over the Atlanta Dream.

After the Fever’s 81-76 win over the Dream on Thursday night time, the Barstool Sports founder posted his ideas on Clark’s play, at the same time as the WNBA Rookie of the Year turned in a single of her least environment friendly performances to this point. “Good win for the Fever. Caitlin didn’t play great. Made a great pass when needed. Natasha Howard was a monster. Sophie Cunningham makes a huge difference. Good win,” he wrote on X.

Clark shot simply 4-of-11 from the sphere, 0-for-5 from deep, and completed with 11 factors, six assists, 4 rebounds, and 4 turnovers. The Fever relied closely on veteran scoring to avenge their slim 91-90 loss to Atlanta simply two nights prior, leaning on Natasha Howard, who scored 26 factors, and Kelsey Mitchell, who added 17.

Sophie Cunningham got here off the bench for 20 minutes and gave Indiana a increase along with her off-ball skill, which led to 9 factors, together with two three-pointers. Late within the first quarter, cameras caught a heated exchange between Clark and Rhyne Howard at halfcourt after they ran into one another and exchanged phrases.

Clark may very well be seen mouthing, “I’m not scared of you,” igniting a polarizing social media response from WNBA followers who had been cut up on which participant received the higher of the exchange. Her 11 factors marked her lowest-scoring recreation since final season when she dropped simply eight towards the Washington Mystics in entrance of a record-breaking crowd of 20,711.

Clark has solely scored underneath 15 factors 9 occasions throughout her two-year WNBA profession and stays Indiana’s statistical chief in scoring (23.5 factors per recreation) and assists (10.5 per recreation) this season. Before tipoff, Portnoy posted one more wager on Clark, this time a three-leg parlay with optimistic projections of Mitchell scoring 20, Aliyah Boston including 15, and Clark getting 12 assists, however none of the predictions hit.

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“Not having the best game,” he posted during the second half. “Still love her, though.” While Portnoy was simple on Clark, that wasn’t the vitality he stored for Angel Reese.

Later within the night time, Reese went 0-for-8 from the sphere and completed with simply two factors within the Chicago Sky’s blowout loss to the New York Liberty. Portnoy reposted her box rating mid-game and adopted up with a sarcastic tweet that learn, “We’re creating a WNBA safe space, so no mentioning Angel’s 0-8 from the field today, please. Thank you.”

Clark and the Fever at the moment are 2-1 on the season and can face their greatest take a look at but on Saturday night time towards the defending champion Liberty. New York is undefeated and simply broke a common season report with 19 made three-pointers in a single recreation. While Clark, Boston, Mitchell, and Howard contributed to Indiana’s early success, a assertion win towards New York might spark the Fever’s aspirations as actual playoff contenders.