Caitlin Clark made her return to the Indiana Fever lineup Saturday afternoon when they took on the defending WNBA champions, the New York Liberty. But on Friday night, Clark was seen at Game 4 of the NBA Finals in Indiana, cheering on the hometown Pacers.
Fans noticed Clark didn’t stay for the whole game, and the Pacers ended up blowing a 10-point second-half lead to the Oklahoma City Thunder. At a pregame press conference, Clark broke her silence about why she left the Pacers game early.
Caitlin Clark Left Finals Game Early To Prepare for Game Against Liberty
Clark made her return to the Fever lineup after missing five games with a left quadriceps strain. In that stretch, the Fever went 2-3 and managed to stay in the WNBA playoff mix. Now 4-5, the Fever are hoping Clark’s return helps spark a win streak. That’s where Clark says her focus is, and it’s also why she left Game 4 of the NBA Finals early to prepare for Saturday’s matchup against New York:
Caitlin Clark on the Pacers’ Game 4 loss: “It was a great game, fun game for the Pacers. And I feel still very confident in their ability to win it all.”
As for today: “Saturday afternoon, during summer, nothing gets better than that. So I expect a really great crowd today.” pic.twitter.com/vkeCWVHUDP
— Scott Agness (@ScottAgness) June 14, 2025
Clark admitted she “didn’t stay the whole time,” but added, “I wasn’t going to miss the game.” She said the WNBA season is her priority and that she needed to prepare, so she “went home and watched some film and the rest of our scout.” Clark also said she watched the end of the Pacers game before going to sleep.
The Pacers may have needed Clark’s good luck in the fourth quarter, as NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went off, scoring 15 of his game-high 35 points in the final 4:38 to lead the Thunder to a win and tie the series at 2-2. Before Friday’s game, the Pacers were 8-0 in the NBA Finals with Clark in attendance, a stat Clark acknowledged was “hard to miss.”
The Pacers held the lead for most of Game 4 while Clark was there but couldn’t finish strong to take a 3-1 series lead. Now they head back to Oklahoma City, needing to win on the road to keep their championship hopes alive. Clark said she’s “still very confident in their ability to win it all” and believes the Pacers will steal a game in OKC and go on to win the NBA title.