Alyssa Thomas unhappy with WNBA following Caitlin Clark incident
USAT’s Cydney Henderson asks Mercury’s Alyssa Thomas about how the WNBA has remained silent following the on-the-court incident with Caitlin Clark.
Sports Seriously
The Indiana Fever play the second of a back-to-back on Thursday, July 9, against the Phoenix Mercury at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix (10 p.m. ET, Prime Video).
Caitlin Clark will be out Thursday with an ongoing back issue. Aliyah Boston, who has been battling a lower leg injury and was out for a loss to the Los Angeles Sparks on Wednesday, is set to play.
It will be the first meeting since the Mercury‘s 111-109 win over the Fever on June 24 dominated national headlines. The fallout from that contest included the WNBA handing Alyssa Thomas a one-game suspension and fine for “recklessly” making contact with Clark’s throat.
Thomas denied any malicious intent and called the contact with Clark “a complete accident,” noting she “didn’t even know that play happened” until she saw clips of the incident online after the win.
Clark said the threats and hate directed toward Thomas and her Mercury teammates in the aftermath need to stop, adding, “I’ve said up here and said before, the harassment, the hate, none of that is OK.”
USA TODAY Sports is providing live updates for the Mercury and Fever’s matchup on Thursday. Follow along here for live updates, highlights and more.
What time is Phoenix Mercury vs Indiana Fever?
- Date: Thursday, July 9
- Time: 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT)
- Location: Mortgage Matchup Center (Phoenix)
The Mercury and Fever play at 10 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 9, at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix.
What TV channel is Phoenix Mercury vs Indiana Fever on today?
Stream: Prime Video
Mercury guard Sami Whitcomb is set to make her season debut on Thursday against the Indiana Fever. She was originally listed as probable on the injury report before being upgraded to available ahead of tipoff.
Sami Whitcomb missed the first 22 games of the season after undergoing an arthroscopy to remove a loose body in her left knee in May. Whitcomb revealed that the injury happened after she came down on a rebound attempt and “felt something” in her knee during practice.
Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts confirmed she’ll be on a minutes restriction.
“Sami’s the ultimate professional. Everybody’s rooting for her to come back,” Tibbetts said. “Obviously she’ll be limited in her minutes, but just excited for her. I know she’s put a lot of work into this. She’s got family here. So yeah, it’s a cool moment for her, exciting for us to get her back just because she just gives us so much experience shooting. She knows how to play with and without the ball.”
Caitlin Clark (rest) was ruled out of Thursday’s matchup between the Fever and Mercury. Earlier this week, she noted the struggles of a back-to-back and four-game road trip all while navigating a lingering back issue.
“With it being a back-to-back, it is obviously kind of tough to get back into it,” Clark said on Tuesday, July. 7. “When you have some back stiffness and things like that, it can affect a lot of other areas of your body… Obviously it’s not always fun sitting on a plane for four hours and traveling a lot… It’s hard on your body to travel and be on the road for 10 days and sleeping in different hotels and things like that. But I know I’m doing everything I can to be as healthy as possible.”
Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts was not happy when neither Kahleah Copper nor Alyssa Thomas were named as WNBA All-Star reserves on Tuesday, July 7, saying both are among the top 10 or 15 players in the league.
“I’m extremely disappointed,” Tibbetts said. “I know our players are disappointed. It’s a prideful group… (Alyssa Thomas) and (Kahleah Copper) are All-Stars. I know that this fan base believes in them as some of the best players in our league. And obviously the fans and other coaches in our league didn’t believe that. And so there’s still a lot of basketball to be played and we feel like we’ve got some really good players in this organization.”
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