PHOENIX – Between former team member Sophie Cunningham’s locker room culture comments, former interim head coach Nikki Blue’s lawsuit and former owner Robert Sarver’s conduct, the Phoenix Mercury have been no strangers to controversy.
With Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever in town on Thursday for the third meeting between these teams this season, however, the temperature inside Mortgage Matchup Center may match the Valley’s infamous July heat – even with Clark sidelined due to a back injury.
Despite the injury, Clark will be available against the Los Angeles Sparks Wednesday night, Fever coach Stephanie White said, prompting some skeptics to wonder if the Fever are trying to temper a potentially volatile situation.
The fallout from Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas’ incident with Clark has added another layer of attention to a team already navigating a physical toll to its frontcourt as the WNBA season reaches its halfway point.
When the Mercury traveled to Indiana on June 24, Thomas made contact with Clark’s throat while diving for a loose ball. Thomas landed on Clark and pressed her fist into Clark’s throat as she got up. No foul was called by the referees on the floor.
The WNBA later levied a Flagrant 2 foul against Thomas for “reckless contact” and suspended her for one game.
The fallout from the incident has extended well into Thomas’ personal life. Thomas told reporters last week that she has received death threats and slurs since the play.
Per ESPN, Thomas criticized WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert for a lackluster response from the league.
“It’s unfortunate that it’s come to this over basketball,” Thomas told ESPN.
Clark has also pushed back on the backlash directed at Thomas, calling the harassment unacceptable, while also arguing that the officiating needs to be better.
“I did think it was a flagrant foul and our reffing just needs to do better,” Clark told reporters at Fever practice. “The league’s just got to do better protecting our players in that regard.”
Prior to Tuesday’s lackluster loss to Chicago, which snapped a three-game win streak, guard Lexi Held made it clear that the Mercury aren’t changing how they operate ahead of the Fever game.
“We’re a tight-knit group on the court and off the court,” Held said. “Showing up for one another just comes natural. Obviously, it’s a little more public this time with everything that happened. We always have each other’s back.”
Held said playing Indiana creates a particular challenge because the Fever draw more scrutiny and publicity than most teams in the league due to Clark’s presence.
“Anything with their team is magnified,” she said. “They have a huge spotlight and bring a lot of attention, which is awesome for the sport. I think there are narratives for both ways. But we’re just going to play the way that we play.”
Thomas gave Phoenix a scare of her own in the third quarter of Tuesday’s game, going down with a lower-leg injury before returning in the fourth quarter.
“It sounds like she hit her big toe or somebody stepped on her big toe,” coach Nate Tibbetts said. “Our medical staff wouldn’t let her come back if it were serious.”
Thomas picked up her fourth technical foul of the season on Tuesday, for which the WNBA has fined her $1,000.
“Those are conversations that we have,” Tibbetts said. “She’s aware of how many technicals she has. It was frustrating for our group, but she understands that we need her in games and we can’t lose her because of a tech.”
In the midst of Tuesday’s loss and the anticipation of the Fever game, Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner passed 8,000 career points, becoming the third player in WNBA history to accomplish that feat.
“There’s only three people who have ever done that, over 8,000,” Tibbetts said. “She helps set the standard for what the Mercury stands for.”
Bonner said the moment felt even more special with her family in the stands.
“My kids were there for it, and they don’t get to be here for a lot of my milestones,” she said.
Bonner said she doesn’t dwell on the numbers, but on her journey.
“I can’t ask for a better career, a better WNBA career, a better start,” she said.
Phoenix will need to focus on taking care of the ball on Thursday, after committing 20 turnovers on Tuesday against Chicago. The team will also have to manage emotions and the spotlight on Thomas.
Thursday’s game is trending toward garnering more attention than the typical midseason matchup.
“We’re gonna keep fighting,” Tibbetts said. “I think there’s still better basketball ahead for us – tonight was a step in the wrong direction. But (fighting is) what this group is about.”
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
