Frustrated Caitlin Clark Screams at Referee as Lexie Hull and Fever Star’s Discontent Mounts vs Sparks

Sparks were meant to fly as LA hosts Indiana at home. And like every other Fever matchup, physicality is once again taking center stage. Even head coach Stephanie White admits that it is a major issue. “The level of physicality overall in our league has been at a different level than it has been in a long time,” she said earlier this season. But Lynne Roberts wasn’t retreating to the corner office; she was leaning into the scrum. Before tipoff, she made it clear: “We’ve gotta play a little more physical, a little more edge defensively,” signaling her plan to use those personal fouls liberally and let her players play with more contact and freedom. Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham, and Lexie Hull have all dealt with this rugged style of play at one point or another. The latest victim? Kelsey Mitchell.

Mitchell has been the messiah of this battered Indiana side. Her offensive bursts get her 20.7 points on average per game. Naturally, the last thing the team could afford was to see their star sidelined by the same curse they’ve been battling all year. Yet that fear almost became a reality during the Sparks game. To add salt to the injury, the officials on the court decided to make it a no-call. What followed next was an outrage from the Fever bench.

During the second quarter of the Sparks-Fever game, Mitchell was visibly fouled by Sparks’ Kelsey Plum. The Fever star was dribbling towards the net, dodging Plum with a screen setup by Aliyah Boston. The footage clearly shows the Sparks player making contact with Mitchell. The contact was so severe that the 29-year-old almost spun out on the hardwood. However, Referees did not call a foul on this play. Following this, Caitlin Clark and Lexie Hull leaped up from the bench to express their frustration.

Hull was the first to voice her frustration over the controversial call from the bench. The result? She got a technical. “You know Lexie Hull is fed up, getting a technical from the bench. With two black eyes from last game. Fever were slow starting, but have cut it to one in the 2Q at LA,” Scott Agnes weighed in. And this discontent from the Fever player feels valid, considering the fouls whistled against her earlier in the game. One-third of Tres Leches finished with four personal fouls, three of which came in the first half. On two of those calls, Hull appeared to be in a legal guarding position and was moving back away from the ball handler. The officials, however, saw it differently.

The conversation around officiating did not stop there. Weighing in on the Mitchell situation, Fever guard Sydney Colson shared her thoughts on X: “At a certain point in the league’s existence, ima need for Kelsey Mitchell to get the same whistle as other stars. The way she gets assaulted is insane.” Her post elicited a cheeky response from Caitlin Clark, who cautioned, “Careful, you’re gonna get fined!”

Although Clark’s response was in jest, it highlighted the ongoing tension between players and officiating in the WNBA. Fever head coach Stephanie White has also been candid about the issue when it comes to Mitchell. “I think Kelsey Mitchell, No. 1, is held or chucked on every freaking possession and never gets a call off the ball. I think Aliyah Boston is the worst officiated post player in the league. She never gets a call. There’s a double standard there, certainly,” she said following a one-point loss to the Dallas Wings. This time, however, the Fever managed to overcome the officiating hurdles. With Lady Luck finally on their side, Indiana flipped the script and escaped with a one-point victory.

LA Sparks skid to a one-point defeat from Caitlin Clark & co.

As both teams stepped onto the court, the playoffs were front and center in everyone’s mind. Neither side has secured a postseason berth, with the Fever holding sixth place and the Sparks chasing from ninth. For LA, just one spot out of the safe zone, a win against Indiana (whom they had already beaten three times this season) would have been massive. They came out swinging, racing to a 7–0 start and finishing the opening quarter with a seven-point cushion.

Indiana, though, refused to let the game slip away. After a shaky first quarter, the Fever found its rhythm. Aliyah Boston dominated inside with 22 points, while Odyssey Sims provided a crucial spark, dropping 21. To their credit, the Sparks did manage to contain Fever’s offensive spearhead Kelsey Mitchell, holding her to just 12 points on 5-of-14 shooting. However, what they failed to build upon was their offensive push. No LA player broke the 20-point mark, with Azurá Stevens leading the team at 17.

The Sparks’ further undoing came in ball security. They committed 22 turnovers compared to Indiana’s 16, and the Fever capitalized with 13 steals against LA’s 7. Those mistakes loomed large down the stretch. With the Sparks clinging to a 74–71 lead, Sims took over, scoring five straight to push Indiana ahead. Then, in the game’s final moments, Kelsey Plum’s struggles sealed LA’s fate.

The Fever walked away with a narrow win, but the officiating once again drew attention. Players didn’t hold back in voicing their frustration after what they felt were questionable calls throughout the night.