Clark, Indiana Fever defeat Taurasi, Phoenix Mercury in back-and-forth battle

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — It’s the matchup everyone has been waiting for: the GOAT vs. the Rook, right here in the Valley of the Sun. Will it be a passing of the torch, from the GOAT to the possible heir?

In this round, the rookie Caitlin Clark gained the upper hand and led the Fever to victory over the veteran, Diana Taurasi, and the Phoenix Mercury. Indiana had five players score double digits.

Clark nearly made history, but fell a rebound shy of becoming the first rookie to hit a first career triple-double and the first-ever for a WNBA rookie. She finished with an 15 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds. Aliyah Boston also led the Fever with 17 points.

Brittney Griner had a dominant performance for the Merc, tacking on 24 points and shooting 8-13 from inside the paint.

Quite possibly deemed one of the most-anticipated games in Mercury history, thousands of fans flocked to Footprint Center to watch two first-overall draft picks go head to head — 20-year veteran Taurasi and newcomer Clark, who has taken the WNBA by storm.

TAKEAWAYS

The game proved to be the exciting matchup that most were hoping for. It was a back-and-forth battle in the third after Indiana went on a 20-point scoring streak to take their first lead of the game.

From there on, both teams were in a fierce battle and traded leads seven times. But the Mercury seemed to lose their footing once Indiana gained momentum. The Merc were up by as much as 15 during the game, but the Fever clawed their way back to secure a victory.

“It was a competitive game. We need to be better down the stretch. I think there’s things we had in our control,” said Mercury guard Natasha Cloud.

Taurasi said the Fever didn’t disrupts the team’s flow; rather themselves. “We didn’t get to the action that we had in the first half. Like anything in basketball you take what the defense gives you. I think we settled a little bit too much. I think we got stagnant a little bit too much. In the first half we had better movement. Those are all things that we have in our hands,” she explained.

Despite second half struggles, Mercury limited Clark for most of the first half and forced her to turn the ball over seven times.

Griner and Taurasi tacked on 13 points apiece with a couple driving layups. The team came firing out of the gate to open the game up by going on a 14-2 tear. Cloud was nearly perfect on shooting, finishing 3-4 from inside the paint and 2-2 on threes.

Clark struggled on shooting to open the game, and the Mercury’s pesky guarding only made it more challenging. She went 2-8 from inside the paint and 1-6 on threes. She and NaLyssa Smith posted seven points, while Boston led the team with 10 points at the half.

NOTABLE MOMENTS

Things got a little chippy between both teams as technical fouls were exchanged in the first half. Cloud and Kahleah Copper were handed technicals, as well as two Fever players when both teams went head-to-head. It came just a few minutes after Griner got a tech.

Bad blood didn’t last for long. Taurasi and Clark shared a moment on the floor just moments after each team’s scuffle. Both seemed to be all smiles sharing the court - a glimpse of a past and future moment.

While the Mercury controlled most of the first, the Fever crawled their way back to bring the deficit down to 28-20. Mercury were persistent about guarding Clark, but she was able to bury a three for her first basket of the game. Aliyah Boston tacked on eight points for the Fever.

Clark was handed her first offensive foul, which was greeted by a flurry of boos that shook the arena.

Taurasi: “Her [Clark] future is super bright”

So what did the GOAT have to say about Clark following the loss? Taurasi showed nothing but praise for the young rookie.

“It’s amazing what Caitlin has been able to do in her short career so far. It’s been nothing short of remarkable. The one thing I really love about her is that she loves the game. You can tell she’s put the work in. Even throughout her short WNBA career it’s been a lot of pressure, a lot of things thrown at her,” Taurasi said. “She keeps showing up, keeps getting better every single game. Her future is super bright.”

Containing Clark

What was the Mercury’s plan heading into the game to stop Clark from going on a tear? Leaning on Brittney Griner and forcing Clark to switch gears, according to head coach Nate Tibbetts.

“We’re gonna ask BG to do different stuff. You know, game to game brings different, challenges. We’re not gonna be able to be completely back, obviously, with Caitlin. So, there’s gonna be times where she’s up to touch. There’s gonna be times where she’s in a drop. There’s gonna be times where we try to force, Caitlin to her right hand,” Tibbets explained. “It’s obviously, it’s a regular season game, but it’s it’s a bigger one.”

Clark’s Views on Taurasi

Clark spoke highly of Taurasi leading up to this game. During Sunday’s pregame press conference, she said Taurasi was one of the first women’s basketball players she grew up idolizing.

“Obviously, her, Sue [Bird], Maya [Moore]. So I would say that that’s, like, kind of my first memory. It’s just, like, about the WNBA in general. It’s, like, she was one of the first that I really knew about, and supported and idolized and wanted to be like. And I just admire the way she played the game and the fire that she played with. And, like I said yesterday, like, it’s impressive that she’s still able to play this game at such a high level and produce the way she does. Like, it’s it’s incredible,” Clark explained.

Clark Fever

An overwhelming amount of fans piled into Footprint for both teams, but the favoritism for Clark was apparent. Fans sporting Fever jerseys and shirts mobbed the star during pregame warm-ups, who took time to sign some autographs.

Clark’s popularity and success from college has followed her into the WNBA. Despite the Fever’s losing record, Clark has had flashes of greatness (and possibly a little vintage Taurasi flare) this season. The first-overall pick is averaging 16.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game.

Although some fans still had the Mercury’s back. One fan sported a sign that said, “Caitlin Clark, who? I’m here for Taurasi.”

Phoenix will host Connecticut Sun on Monday.

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