Caitlin Clark’s Curry-esque game-winner also means “night night” to Fever trade rumors

The Indiana Fever’s 14-point halftime lead against the Washington Mystics was completely wiped away in the fourth quarter. The Fever, who had dropped three of their four previous games, trailed by one with 51.5 seconds remaining, and to make matters worse, immediately after that, Caitlin Clark missed two free throws that would have regained the lead for the Fever. Pressure was mounting not only on the Fever as a team, facing another potential loss that would put them back at the .500 mark, but also on the swirling trade rumors around Clark, which were bound to intensify.

Instead, Clark’s quiet fourth quarter from a scoring perspective finished in a very loud fashion, as the star guard nailed a 31-foot three-pointer with just over one second remaining, ensuring Indiana’s blown lead wouldn’t become a postgame talking point. With one shot, a game-winner that was from many deep enough to be considered Steph Curry-esque, Clark silenced concern about the Fever (for now) and trade rumors (hopefully, for good). If anything, her coach’s own postgame comments about Clark put it all into perspective.

Clark had a quiet fourth quarter from a scoring perspective, totaling just two points until her perfectly executed game-winner to secure the 78-76 victory. Her shooting may have been a non-factor in the final frame until literally the final three seconds, but Clark’s overall talent and immense skill set as a playmaker were still on full display.

Over the final six and a half minutes of the game, Clark totaled three assists, including a dish to Kelsey Mitchell that gave the Fever the lead back 75-74 with 11.3 seconds remaining. Following two free throws from Mystics’ Sonia Citron, Clark proceeded to do what stars do best—brush off anything else that had happened throughout the game and step up in the moment the Fever needed her most.

Clark has her teammate’s full faith as well, and Mitchell proved as much, stating after the game that she knew the game-winner was “money” as soon as it went up.

If Indiana needs Clark to score, she’ll get the bucket. However, the Fever has multiple players more than capable of finding the bottom of the basket. Mitchell averages 20.5 points per game and has been the definition of consistent, scoring 14 or more points in every game this season while topping 20 points in six of 11 games. Aliyah Boston is shooting 50.5 percent from the field this year en route to averaging 15.7 points and 7.8 rebounds, for good measure.

Clark’s scoring ability has never been questioned, but as teams lock in on the 24-year-old star, she’s found plenty of ways to make an impact. Although Clark has shot just 38.3% from the field this year, she’s still averaged 7.9 assists. Although that mark is down compared to the previous two years, she again proved in Monday night’s win that when the lights are the brightest, she’s always ready to step up.