Caitlin Clark draws criticism for historically bad performance

Sep 24, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) dribbles the ball against the Minnesota Lynx in the second half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn ImagesCaitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever officially concluded their regular season on Thursday night, but it’s fair to say the night went far differently than Clark or the team had hoped.

>Not only did the Fever suffer a lopsided defeat against the Minnesota Lynx, but Clark also endured the worst performance of her career, setting career lows across several statistical categories.

Clark’s historically bad gameThroughout her WNBA career, Clark has established herself as a dependable offensive force for the Fever and one of the league’s most consistent scorers. However, that was certainly not the case on Thursday night.

>Clark ended the game with just two points, going 1-for-12 from the field while recording only three assists. The Fever star finished with career lows in points (2), three-pointers (0), and field goal percentage (8.3%) as Indiana suffered an 88-66 loss.

>For some additional perspective, Clark has averaged 22.8 points and 8.5 assists per game this season, good for second in the league in assists and third in scoring.

>This all came in what was a golden opportunity for the Fever to lock up home-court advantage for the first round of the postseason and earn a more favorable draw, especially with Lynx superstar Olivia Miles on the bench for the game. It was also a chance for Clark to claim the top spot on the WNBA’s assists leaderboard and add to her MVP resume.

Tough night for the FeverThe positive for the Fever is that they secured their playoff spot weeks ago. However, Thursday night’s loss could have a major impact on where they begin the postseason.

>Along with the Washington Mystics’ win over the Chicago Sky, the Fever’s loss caused them to fall from the No. 5 seed to the No. 6 seed. As a result, instead of taking on the Atlanta Dream in the opening round, Indiana will now face either the defending WNBA Champion Las Vegas Aces or the Golden State Valkyries.

>Things could get even more difficult for the Fever, as All-Star Aliyah Boston exited Thursday night’s contest with an injury and did not return.

Fans Not HappyNeedless to say, Clark’s historically bad performance led to a lot of criticism on social media.

>“Can we acknowledge that CaitlinClark vs good teams isn’t the same CaitlinClark vs bad teams. MVP is a serious award. And you can’t play around by awarding it to bad teams merchants,” one fan wrote in a post on X.

>“Caitlin Clark better not be on any All-WNBA First Team ballots,” another fan added.

>“CaitlinClark is currently 1-5, and Fever are 21 points down. Continuing her trend of inconsistency against playoff teams If MVP wasn’t over before.. this game basically confirms it,” someone else wrote.

>“You cannot be the MVP as a 6th seed after squandering a wide-open shot at home-court advantage. Going 1-2 down the stretch while shooting a combined 21.9% from the field (7-of-32) in those two crucial blowout losses is the exact opposite of an MVP closing argument,” a fan commented.

>“CaitlinClark scored 2 points on 1-12 shooting and Olivia Miles didn’t even play. A’ja Wilson,the REAL MVP and the Las Vegas aces will make short of this fraudulent playoff team,” another fan added.

>“Caitlin Clark’s lowest-scoring game ever since her rookie year where she only scored three points against the Liberty,” someone else pointed out.

>We’ll have to see how Clark and the Fever bounce back from this.

>The post Caitlin Clark draws criticism for historically bad performance appeared first on The Comeback: Today’s Top Sports Stories & Reactions.