Caitlin Clark Spark: Is Fever’s Washington Win Contagious?

Under the cover of the NBA Finals, Caitlin Clark may have saved the Indiana Fever’s season with a thunderous three.

Caitlin Clark’s spur-of-the-moment 3-pointer may have saved the Indiana Fever’s season in the nick of time.

While her male counterparts did championship battle in the NBA Finals, Clark conjured capital magic in the form of a game-winning 3-pointer earned in the penultimate second of a 78-76 victory over the Washington Mystics. It was the capper to one of the more thrilling showings of this young WNBA season, one that featured four lead changes in the final minute alone.

“What she did was incredible for us. She’s going to have many more moments like that. I know she is,” noted Fever head coach Stephanie White. “… This is what Caitlin does. She makes big shots, and she has big moments.”

Caitlin Clark game-winner as seen on phantom pic.twitter.com/EBXEpHL7pE

— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) June 9, 2026

Clark Gets Her Bark Back

Clark’s clutch chaos was the perfect vaccine for the invasive commentary that has surrounded her third season in Indianapolis.

Her return from an injury-riddled sophomore campaign has been defined by extracurriculars in the early going, not least of which was the Fever dropping three of their prior four entering a Commissioner’s Cup clash with the Mystics. Animated exchanges on the Fever sidelines further incubated the cause, perhaps providing the first hint that the Clark bubble could well one day burst on Indiana.

For a few brief moments, that was all forgotten as Clark had an old friend over for dinner. The victorious triple, earned off a long inbound assist from Sophie Cunningham, was sunk in the proximity of Washington rookie Cotie McMahon, who engaged in several contentious conference clashes with the Iowa alumna Clark during her time at Ohio State.

The Return of the Signature Swagger

McMahon made a valiant effort on Cunningham’s pass, but it nonetheless landed in the hands of Clark, who teed up from deep to earn a monumental victory in the nation’s capital. When the shot fell through, Clark commemorated the swish by flashing three fingers in the direction of the shocked McMahon, a display of returned signature swagger in a year that has been defined by visible frustration. 

“I don’t think I would be as good of a player if I was very stoic and straight-faced all the time,” Clark said of her resurging antics. “I think basketball’s one of the best environments to do that because the fans are right on top of you. You get to see the player that you idolize … Basketball is one where you can feel like you’re really connected and a part of the craze with your favorite player, and I think that’s why a lot of people have enjoyed watching me over the course of my career, is that they’ve been able to enjoy the fun and enjoy the ride with me along the way.”

Clark knew the stakes as soon as the pass drifted past the grip of McMahon: there would’ve been five last-minute lead changes had she not missed a pair of free throws moments before. An Aliyah Boston steal-turned–Kelsey Mitchell double and successful free throws for opponent Sonia Citron were enough to set the stage for instant redemption. 

“You better make this, because I missed my free throws,” Clark, scorer of 19 points, said of her only thoughts before launching. “All those plays are plays we work on after practice, so everybody knows their role, everybody knows what they’re going to do. Cotie almost got a fingertip on it. It kind of worked out perfectly that she went for the steal. Honestly, probably the most wide-open shot I had all night. My hands got a little clammy, but still went in, I guess.”

Monday’s heroics provided absolution for Clark in more ways than one: that aforementioned third game also came against Washington, and Clark hit a triple that forced an extra session before the Mystics eventually prevailed by a 104-102 final. Defending Commissioner’s Cup champion Indiana may yet have the last laugh, as their win allows them an inside edge in the Commissioner’s Cup standings, though they still sit a game behind the undefeated New York Liberty in that department. 

Caitlin Clark has hit CLUTCH shots in each of her two games vs the Mystics this season. pic.twitter.com/s9vW7YO1iz

— WNBA on NBC and Peacock (@WNBAonNBC) June 9, 2026

A New Strain of Victory?

Indiana (6-5) got back in the win column thanks to Clark’s spark, but all it takes is one slip-up to immediately get the rumor mill spinning again. There’s a little time to bask in this victory as the team returns home to face the reeling Chicago Sky on Thursday night (7 p.m. ET, Prime Video).

While there’s no doubt some solid vibes stemming from the win, some of the dire trends that have followed the Fever linger in Washington: the team committed 17 turnovers, five alone coming from the hands of Clark herself (though she’s cut down to 4.3 per game after losing over five in each of her first two tours). Clark at least managed to keep her aggression in check with foul trouble haunting her, but the same couldn’t be said about Boston, Mitchell, and Monique Billings, all of whom were charged with five in Monday’s win.

But even with those familiar issues surfacing, the Fever persisted in another sterling defensive effort, holding the young and speedy Mystics to only 18 3-point attempts (albeit with nine makes) while forcing 15 turnovers of their own, the most they’ve had since the third game of the year back on May 15. The defensive surge has been partly brought by a breakout from Billings, the Fever’s most notable headlining acquisition in the speedy offseason.   

“She’s a good, active defender, a communicator on the defensive end of the floor. We need her to rebound, need her to be a hard diver,” White said of the Billings impact, per Tony East of The IX Sports. “She’s an elite communicator on the defensive end of the floor. She does a really good job of making sure that everybody knows where they are supposed to be. Her activity level on both ends is really high, and it makes a big difference for us.”

Fever Can Build Momentum Behind Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell

Indiana also stands to benefit from the continued progress of Mitchell, who continues to hold the offensive torch despite Clark’s return: fresh off headlining the team’s surprise run to the league semifinals, Mitchell is on pace to establish a career-high in points for the third straight season, and she’s also posting the best advanced defensive metrics of her career, including a personal best in net output.

With a matchup with the Mystics out of the way, there’s a good bit of time for the Fever to make things right: this weekend features a trip to Uncasville to face the last-place Connecticut Sun before they face the expansion Toronto Tempo early next week. An early barometer lingers in the form of a doubleheader, as the Fever faces a home-and-home with the Atlanta Dream, the team they defeated in the opening round of last year’s playoffs. 

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on @GeoffJMags

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