Oh, how much we have missed Caitlin Clark in the WNBA. The fans, the Indiana Fever, and even the league itself have been long awaiting Clark’s return. And against the New York Liberty, she finally did. The star point guard was back in the starting lineup against the same team where she sustained her quad injury.

Clark returned to form with her trademark passing, delivering a difficult overhead assist to Aliyah Boston for an easy layup. The Boston-Clark connection was back in rhythm, especially after Boston had experienced a dip in form during Clark’s absence. Many fans might have expected Clark to ease into her game, particularly with her three-point shooting, given the confidence and physical intensity those shots demand after an injury. 

But Clark said,” F— it, we ball,” and showed why they missed her. The Fever were once 9 points down in the first quarter, but Clark single-handedly cut down that deficit within minutes. She was back in business. First, she made a three-point play, drawing the foul while making the shot. After that came her signature logo threes. She made three back-to-back threes from deep within 38 seconds to immediately put pressure on the champions and tie the scoreboard to 24-24. One even came from the Commissioners Cup logo, drawing huge cheers from the crowd. Nike was quick to react to their athlete dominating the best as they wrote, “ When @CaitlinClark22 makes it rain, it pours.”

Clark is playing in her new shoes, the latest Nike Protro PE called “The Bellas.” The shoes are dedicated to her dog, the Golden Retriever named Bella. And it seems her pet has given her special powers as she had the best half of basketball in her WNBA career. Clark scored 25 out of the team’s 53 points, which included 6 three-pointers. She justified the statement she made before the game, where she denied any drawback from her injury affecting her minutes.

“Why would I be out there to play 20 minutes?” she said to reporters. “I’m out there to win and give everything I have for this team.”

Two of her three pointers in the first quarter were from beyond 30 feet. She went on to hit another from that range in the second quarter, showing that she is up for anything. While Stephanie White has rotated her on and off in the first half, as Clark played 16 minutes in the first 20 minutes. She still finished with the best half in her entire career. Clark looked hungry after being away from competitive basketball for 19 days, and it looks like she finally got her food: basketball.

Clark Earns Another Technical Foul Against Liberty 

While Clark found her rhythm with a hot shooting hand, the game wasn’t entirely smooth for her. She picked up her first technical foul of the regular season, setting a minor blemish on an otherwise strong return. Although she was assessed a technical during the preseason, it does not count toward her regular-season record, making this her official first of the year.

With 4:37 remaining in the second quarter, Caitlin Clark was seen disputing an out-of-bounds call with the officials and appeared to cross a line, leading to a technical foul. The Fever challenged the call immediately after the technical was issued, but the ruling was upheld, costing Indiana a timeout. Sabrina Ionescu capitalized on the moment, sinking the technical free throw.

Unless the league decides to rescind the call, Clark is likely facing a $200 fine. Under WNBA rules, a player’s first three technical fouls each carry a $200 penalty. Technicals four through six increase to $400 each, and any beyond that jump to $800. While last season players could accumulate up to seven technicals before facing suspension, the league raised the threshold to eight for the current year.

Clark was close to getting that suspension last year when she had 6, and she had committed to limiting that this year while talking to Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi. Taurasi set the over/under for Clark’s technicals in the 2025 season at 4.5, and both she and Bird took the over. Clark, however, said she’ll go under, and claimed that she’s already told new Fever coach Stephanie White that she’ll only get two technicals this summer. Well, she has exhausted half of her limit just in the 10th game of the season. White will be at her with a stern warning regarding her techs.

Barring her tech, she had a dream half and marked a return from injury during which people had started to disregard the Fever out of the championship conversations but Clark has shown that she can solo carry the team, and we haven’t even seen the best of Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah boston yet with Clark back. Sophie Cunningham is yet to find her mojo, and when she does, this team will be scary to anyone.