Caitlin Clark nearly becomes the first rookie in WNBA history with a triple-double, finishing with 15 points, 9 rebounds and 12 assists as the Fever outlast the Mercury. (1:57)
Clark didn't come to the postgame news conference because she wasn't feeling well, but she did talk briefly to ESPN's Christine Williamson on court after the game.
"I'm just happy we won," said Clark, who finished with 15 points, 12 assists and 9 rebounds. "It was cool to play against [Taurasi], and obviously a really great game. This crowd was absolutely incredible."
Taurasi, in her 20th WNBA season, is the league's all-time leading scorer. Clark finished her Iowa career in early April as the all-time leading scorer in Division I basketball, men or women.
Both were No. 1 draft picks with big workloads as rookies. But Taurasi, WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2004, came of age in the days before social media and NIL deals. Those things have greatly impacted Clark's profile. Her rookie season has been in a much bigger spotlight because of technology and the growth of the WNBA the past 20 years.
Taurasi's remark during Clark's final college season that "Reality is coming," regarding her transition to the WNBA was no different from anything the veteran has said rookies her whole career. After Sunday's game, Taurasi praised Clark.
"It's amazing what Caitlin's been able to do in her short career so far," Taurasi said. "The one thing that I really love her, she loves the game. You can tell she's put the work in. ... It's been a lot of pressure, a lot of things thrown at her, and she keeps showing up and keeps getting better every single game.
"So her future is super bright, and being a veteran and being in this league for a long, long time, it is pretty cool to see that and go into the future."
Taurasi, the oldest active player in the WNBA, is the gold standard for guards in the league, and she did her part Sunday with 19 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. Fellow guard Natasha Cloud had 15 points and seven assists, while center Brittney Griner led Phoenix with 24 points.
But the Fever won the rebounding battle 42-28, led by forward NaLyssa Smith's 15 boards. Centers Aliyah Boston (17 points) and Temi Fagbenle (10), forward Smith (12) and guard Kelsey Mitchell (16) joined Clark in double-digit scoring.
"We continue to tell each other, 'We're good, stay here, pay attention to what we have to do,'" forward Aliyah Boston said. "Use that as energy for us, not as a distraction, not worrying if they're going to foul us hard or not. Every night it's going to be a battle, so we have to be ready for it."
