The Indiana Fever were blown out by the Golden State Valkyries, 80–61, their second-lowest scoring game of the season. Caitlin Clark, back after a groin injury, finished with 10 points, five rebounds, and six assists, but looked visibly out of sync in her 25 minutes on the floor. “Nobody played well,” she said postgame, but head coach Stephanie White’s tone suggested the disruption may have started with her.  

Indiana led 23–21 after one quarter, but the Valkyries seized control with an 18–2 run to close the half, turning a 30–23 deficit into a 41–32 lead at intermission. Golden State held Indiana to just nine points in the second quarter on 3-for-16 shooting, smothering the Fever’s usual interior reliance by limiting them to just 26 points in the paint—a far cry from their season average. Meanwhile, All‑Stars Aliyah Boston (six points) and Kelsey Mitchell (12 points on 3‑for‑13 shooting) were clearly flustered by Golden State’s aggressive defense.

Indiana’s cold night was reflected in their 30.9% shooting overall and 22.2% from deep—statistically the worst combined team shooting performance this season. But for Caitlin Clark, with 4‑for‑12 turnovers in her first game back, the loss reflected more than just a bad shooting night. After the game, when asked how long the team’s issues with scouting reports and personnel awareness had been a problem, she replied, “That speaks about our inconsistency. We shot around 30 to 32 percent on the field, which stinks. We didn’t score many baskets across the board. KK was the only one who shot very well.” While Clark pointed to poor execution as a shared responsibility, head coach Stephanie White offered a different kind of diagnosis. 

Asked why the Fever had struggled with focus and engagement, White responded, “There’s always going to [be] adjustments when it comes to people getting back into the lineup. The team has focus and [has] shown it in glimpses, but discipline is something to be worked on for better execution.”

With Clark sidelined (June 24–July 8), the Fever went 5–4, averaging 11 turnovers per game and maintaining a 2.70 assists-to-turnover ratio in wins like the 81–54 blowout over Las Vegas and the 74–59 Commissioner’s Cup victory over Minnesota. With Clark back in the lineup on July 9, Indiana committed 14 turnovers—their highest single-game total since mid‑July 2019—and managed just 19 points combined in the second and fourth quarters. This stark regression in both turnover volume and shooting under pressure directly reflected the “discipline” and “adjustment” issues Coach White highlighted. And the solution? It was connected to Clark herself, too. 

Caitlin Clark Gets the Shift

Let’s be clear here, though. Stephanie White did not blame CC; instead, she hinted at lineup adjustments and made it clear that some things had to change.

“I like the ability to have two primary [ball handlers] on the floor being able to give the opponent different looks,” White said. “Quite frankly, for C, especially not having to have her play under duress 94 feet.” Translation: White wants Clark to improve her off-the-ball game, even while being the team’s primary creator.

White had teased this move a day earlier. She had said, “If she’s in action off the ball or even if she’s spacing the floor off the ball, she’s going to open up things for everybody else.” Whether this tweak fixes the Fever’s struggles is still up in the air, but if one thing is certain, it’s that Indiana isn’t sticking with the status quo.