Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark Has an Alyssa Thomas Problem

Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark Has an Alyssa Thomas Problem

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Angelo Guinhawa | Last updated Sep 23, 2026 8:12 AM ET

Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark has the chance to make history this 2026 WNBA season, but Phoenix Mercury star Alyssa Thomas remains the biggest obstacle to her doing so.

On Tuesday, Clark recorded 27 points on 9-of-18 shooting, along with seven rebounds, nine assists and four steals. With that performance, she improved her season averages to 22.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game.

The Fever playmaker remains third in the league in scoring. However, she was unable to surpass Thomas in the assist leaderboard, remaining in second.

Clark previously claimed the No. 1 spot in assists per game following her 14-assist performance against the Toronto Tempo last week. Unfortunately, a five-assist display in the Fever’s blowout loss to the Washington Mystics on Sunday allowed Thomas to overtake her again.

Thomas had a monster triple-double of 15 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists in the Mercury’s 87-86 win against the Dallas Wings on Monday.

Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas (25) reacts during a game.Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect

The Fever star was previously on track to become the first WNBA player ever to lead the league in assists while finishing in the top three in scoring in the same season.

It’s unlikely Clark will lose her spot in the scoring leaderboard, but if she wants to claim the historic WNBA first, she will need to record at least 10 assists in the Fever’s season finale against the Minnesota Lynx. She must also hope that Thomas dishes out seven assists or less in the Mercury’s final game against the Las Vegas Aces.

Both the Fever and Mercury play their last regular-season games on Thursday.

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

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