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Watch: Cameras catch Caitlin Clark's emotional outburst during Fever loss

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated May 21, 2025 12:12 AM ET

The Indiana Fever's unbeaten streak in the new season ended almost as quickly as it had started. This is after Caitlin Clark and Co. suffered a disappointing 91-90 loss to the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday in their second game of the new season.

Clark did all she could for Indiana in this one, dropping a game-high 27 points on 9-of-20 shooting, to go along with five rebounds, 11 assists, two steals and five triples in 38 minutes of action.

It still wasn't enough, though, as the Dream secured a razor-thin victory at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to hand the Fever their first loss of the campaign.

What makes this defeat upsetting for Indiana is the fact that they came so close to stealing this one away after Atlanta had led the game virtually from start to finish.

At one point late in the fourth quarter, with the Fever down six points, they were able to pull off a defensive stop against nine-time All-Star Brittney Griner, who was a dominant force in the win with 21 points (on 8-of-13 shooting) and eight rebounds.

The Fever, however, were unable to secure the rebound, which led to an emotional outburst from Clark right under the basket.

Caitlin Clark slammed the padding under the hoop after a crucial missed rebound by the Fever pic.twitter.com/8CK1xO7QQs
— Paolo Songco (@PaoloSongcoNBA) May 21, 2025

After forcing Griner to miss her shot with some heads-up defense, Natasha Howard and Aliyah Boston ended up fumbling what should have been an easy rebound. Clark tried to save the ball from going out of bounds, but she was too late.

Clark can be seen slamming the padding under the hoop after Indiana gave up possession. The reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year knew how important that rebound was for her team, and she simply could not hold back her emotions.

For what it's worth, Indiana was still able to claw its way back in the dying moments. In fact, they even took a lead, 90-89, with 21 seconds remaining in the game. The Dream scored in their next possession, though, with Rhyne Howard sinking both of her free throws after being fouled on a shot attempt, leading to Atlanta securing a one-point victory.

Clark and Co. get a couple of days off before returning to action. They get a rematch against the Dream on Thursday, with these two teams battling it out at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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