Tensions flared early and often Thursday night in what’s quickly becoming one of the WNBA’s most gripping new rivalries.
Less than two days after their last nail-biting showdown, the Indiana Fever and Atlanta Dream brought that unfinished business right back to the hardwood. And this time, the sparks between Caitlin Clark and Rhyne Howard stole the spotlight.
With under 30 seconds left in the first quarter, Clark and Howard got into a heated exchange that saw both players separated by teammates. Howard, defending Clark full-court, bumped into her as the whistle blew—arms extended on both sides. Clark started to walk away, but Howard stepped forward again, prompting a quick intervention.
“I’m not scared of you,” Clark seemed to say, unfazed and bolstered by her Fever teammates. The message was clear: she’s here to compete, not to back down.
Though they shared a lighter moment in preseason—Howard jokingly tugging Clark’s ear after an exhibition—their recent meetings have had a far more combative tone. Thursday’s scuffle came on the heels of another dust-up, this time between Clark and Angel Reese just five days earlier, which also required separation after a flagrant foul and post-play tension.
It wasn’t Clark’s most explosive night—she had only six points heading into the final quarter, a sharp contrast from her 27-point performance against Atlanta two nights prior. But when it mattered most, she delivered. Clark scored five points in the fourth, helping the Fever cap a dramatic 10-1 run to steal the win from Atlanta’s grasp.
She finished with 11 points, while Natasha Howard led the charge with 26. Rhyne Howard kept Atlanta in the hunt with 24 points of her own, continuing to make her case as one of the league’s most dynamic two-way threats.
The drama on court underscores just how much Clark’s arrival has altered the WNBA landscape. The intensity of matchups involving the Fever has grown dramatically, and so has the scrutiny. The league is already investigating alleged hateful fan comments made toward Angel Reese in Indiana—raising questions about fan behavior, player safety, and the cultural flashpoints emerging in the WNBA’s most-watched moments.
Reese herself reposted a TikTok claiming she felt “unsafe” playing in Indiana, adding fuel to an already charged atmosphere surrounding the Fever’s games.
