Thursday night’s matchup was highly anticipated for many reasons, one being that it was the first clash of the season for Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark. And while extending her head-to-head streak to 5-1 with her ‘archnemesis’, the point guard helped the Fever to an 83-71 win. But while she was back to being herself — hyping up the crowd and being responsible for over 42 percent of Indiana’s 83 points — not everything was going well for the point guard.

Sideline reporter Kayla Grey mentioned what the 17,002-strong Gainbridge Fieldhouse saw. After warming up during halftime, Caitlin Clark threw up in a trash can right next to their bench. Grey further added, “She appears good to go and is playing through.” After helping with 35 of 83 points by the Fever today to snap their losing streak and win their first Commissioner’s Cup challenge, Clark herself gave an update.

“Little sick,” Caitlin Clark said while speaking to reporters post-game. “I tried to eat some applesauce, and then it just came up, and then everything else also in my stomach came up. I thought I was gonna stay down, then I found a trash can, thank God, I haven’t puked that much in a really long time.

“But then I felt fine, I felt light. So I was running around feeling good in the second half. I’ll be good. ”

While Clark’s health is already becoming a growing storyline for yet another season, she was indeed feeling fine. So much so that she was back to raising her hands and hyping up the local fans to boost morale. She ended the game with a stat line of 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists while only turning the ball over thrice. However, Clark’s general health issues aren’t that unknown.

She has previously opened up about dealing with migraines throughout her life. She could’ve also thrown up because of the weather, as noted by Michael Grady, the on-air announcer for Amazon Prime. So her history naturally became part of the conversation.

However, what concerned everyone the most was the fact that her health has already been under the microscope throughout the 2026 season. The 24-year-old entered the season physically healthy but admitted that she was still working through the mental side of the injuries that disrupted her 2025 campaign.

Then, even more recently, she missed a game due to back stiffness. Since then, her status has frequently appeared as a game-time decision on the Fever’s injury report. However, as Fever head coach Stephanie White clarified, those injury report designations could become the norm moving forward after Indiana received a warning from the WNBA.

More importantly, none of that stopped her from helping Indiana secure a much-needed 83-71 victory in its Commissioner’s Cup opener.

Caitlin Clark Battles Through Sickness as Fever Ends Skid

The last few weeks have been tough for the Indiana Fever. They suffered back-to-back losses against the Golden State Valkyries and Portland Fire, while their franchise remains under scrutiny after a heated exchange incident involving Clark and White.

So, facing a team that entered the night with one of the best records of the 2026 season so far, the Fever needed to give a statement performance at their home court. And thanks to their big three, they did exactly that with a combined 61 points.

Although Clark had a quiet first half in which she recorded just seven points, it is important to note that she had five assists. These alone totalled over 47 percent of the Fever’s 38 points at halftime. She entered the game again with newfound energy, or in her words, feeling “light” in the second half.

At the same time, Mitchell also completely shifted the momentum of the game as she erupted for an 11-0 run by herself in the third quarter, which helped Indiana turn a close contest into a double-digit lead. The Indiana Fever never looked back.

Caitlin Clark finished the night with 17 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds despite dealing with illness during the game, while Mitchell reached the 5,000-point milestone for her career.

However, the biggest takeaway from this game was the Fever’s defense.

They held Atlanta to just 71 points, which is now the fewest points they have allowed all season.

So after a difficult stretch on and off the court, the Fever finally got the bounce-back performance they desperately needed. But the only question that remains now is whether they can carry it forward when they face the New York Liberty on June 6.