Caitlin Clark faced her toughest challenge yet in the WNBA, managing only a single basket and three points during her comeback game after Chennedy Carter’s fierce bodycheck.

Caitlin Clark’s return to the court was marked by drama and disappointment following a brutal bodycheck from Chicago Sky’s Chennedy Carter. Towards the end of the third quarter in Saturday’s game, Carter knocked Clark to the ground, reportedly yelling “you b***h” before the shove. Despite this, Clark had the last laugh as the Indiana Fever secured a thrilling 71-70 victory, marking their first home win of the season.

On Sunday, Clark appeared in good spirits during warm-ups at Barclays Center as the Fever faced the New York Liberty. However, she endured the worst performance of her WNBA career, scoring just three points on 1-of-10 shooting, including 1-for-7 from deep. The Liberty dominated with a 104-68 win in their opening Commissioner’s Cup game, handing Indiana its joint-heaviest defeat of the season. This game marked Clark’s lowest point total and field goal percentage across both her WNBA (11 games) and college (139 games at Iowa) basketball career.

Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever endured a miserable return to the court on Sunday night  

The Iowa alum was shoved to the ground by Chicago Sky’s Chennedy Carter on Saturday

Caitlin Clark, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft, faced another setback during her rough return to the court. She exited the game in the fourth quarter, holding her ear and appearing in discomfort. This marked New York Liberty’s second 100-point game of the season, both against the Indiana Fever. The Liberty have now defeated the Fever three times this season, winning by a combined 83 points.

In the Liberty’s dominant 104-68 victory, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton scored 20 points in just 25 minutes, Jonquel Jones posted her second straight double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Sabrina Ionescu added 16 points, six assists, and six rebounds. New York shot a season-best 57.6 percent and scored 44 points in the paint.

Adding to the drama, Clark’s Fever teammates were criticized before the game for not doing more to ‘protect’ their star player in the aftermath of Chennedy Carter’s brutal bodycheck.

Clark was held to a season-low three points on 1-of-10 shooting – and 1-for-7 from deep 

The Liberty recorded a dominant 104-68 victory in their opening Commissioner’s Cup game

Clark watches from the bench as the Fever is heavily beaten by New York on Sunday night

Former NBA forward Matt Barnes also voiced his opinion on the Fever’s need to protect Caitlin Clark. In an Instagram post highlighted by the New York Post, Barnes expressed his concerns: “I mean, throughout the season, she’s been getting beat up. Hard screens, elbows, knocked down,” Barnes said. “It is what it is; she’s not the first, she won’t be the last. My issue and my question is, where the f**k are her teammates at? Where y’all at? Where are the rest of the Indiana Fever at?”

Barnes, who played with stars like Kobe Bryant, Blake Griffin, and Chris Paul during his career, often took on the role of an enforcer himself. He believes Clark’s teammates need to do more to stand up for her and protect their star player.

Former NBA forward Matt Barnes did not hold back in his criticism of the Indiana Fever’s lack of support for Caitlin Clark. “I’ve seen a couple of girls smirk when she’s got knocked down, half-ass to pick her up. Like, y’all supposed to protect the asset, protect the star. And although this is a team, you always protect your star. I was someone who protected the stars,” Barnes stated. “You f**k with Kobe, [Chris Paul], Blake [Griffin], the list goes on, it’s going to be a problem.”

Meanwhile, Chennedy Carter remained vocal on social media after refusing to comment on Clark following the Sky’s loss on Saturday. On Threads, Carter downplayed Clark’s contributions, saying, “…beside three-point shooting what does [Clark] bring to the table man.” She also addressed her beef with Clark on Instagram, writing, “I grew up with all brothers. All we did is fight and argue. I love the hate more than the love what don’t y’all understand. I’d rather you hate me [than] love me and I mean that on my dead aunt.”

The tension between Carter and Clark, combined with Barnes’ pointed remarks, underscores the growing narrative around the need for Clark’s teammates to step up and protect their star player in the highly competitive WNBA environment.