Caitlin Clark spent her Friday night fighting through a physical Golden State Valkyries defense, exchanging words with the opposing roster.
The 24-year-old also dropped 22 points, 9 assists, and 2 rebounds in her return from a back injury, guiding the Indiana Fever to a 90-82 comeback victory.
Caitlin Clark and the Fever Come Out on Top vs. Physical Golden State
Coming off a win against the New York Liberty, the Valkyries did not travel to Indianapolis to make friends.
Golden State’s physical blueprint and aggression were evident at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, daring the Fever to match their intensity. Trapping ball screens and crowding the passing lanes, Golden State made it uncomfortable for Clark at every turn.
The strategy worked brilliantly for 20 minutes, as the Valkyries built a 44-37 halftime lead.
However, it all boiled over right before halftime. After a contested rebound under the basket, Clark tangled directly with Valkyries forward Janelle Salaün.
Caitlin Clark and Janelle Salaun get into it. 🍿👀
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) May 23, 2026
The two confronted each other, exchanging heated words while teammates rushed in to intervene.
Afterward, officials assessed the incident and issued Clark her second technical foul of the season. She seemed to use the altercation as fuel for the second half, driving a brilliant 53-point offensive surge.
Midway through the third quarter, Clark pulled up from the logo and buried a deep 3-pointer to tie the game, and turned immediately to deliver a verbal barrage to Golden State veteran Tiffany Hayes.
Social media was not shy to react to the Fever star’s aggressive energy, with Clark Report remarking, “She’s an absolute psycho.”
She’s an absolute psycho pic.twitter.com/wHiIXiUddO https://t.co/cYlGPZ0nX2
— Clark Report (@CClarkReport) May 23, 2026
“Nah man Caitlin Clark is out here WILDING. Three from the logo and got all in her defender face and LET HER KNOW about it 😭💀,” Hater Report posted.
Former WNBA All-Star Stacey Dales also weighed in, “Caitlin Clark is absolutely insane. What a performer. That 3 basically from half court. Then trashing.🔥”
Caitlin Clark is absolutely insane. What a performer. That 3 basically from half court. Then trashing.🔥
— StaceyDales (@StaceyDales) May 23, 2026
“So much aura CC,” one user wrote.
“IM SO MOVED LETS GET NEGATIVEEEE,” one user wrote.
IM SO MOVED LETS GET NEGATIVEEEE https://t.co/5EvQf8ZZkX
— soph!✰ (@sophstcrs) May 23, 2026
“this is good for the game,” another claimed.
While Indiana was buoyed by an angry Clark, Golden State relied heavily on its bench to stay competitive.
Hayes paced the Valkyries with 19 points, while Kaitlyn Chen added 18 points. Veronica Burton supplemented the offense with 17 points, as the Valkyries eventually ran out of gas.
The Fever desperately needed a signature win following a chaotic 48 hours behind the scenes.
The WNBA issued a formal warning to the organization Thursday night, as Indiana failed to officially list Clark on the injury report before she sat out Wednesday’s win over the Portland Fire with back soreness.
The Fever travel to San Francisco next Thursday for a rematch against the Valkyries at Chase Center. Golden State will need to scheme a response for a Fever backcourt that just proved it will not back down from a brawl.
