Caitlin Clark Had to Be Held Back by Fever Coach During Intense Moment Against Aces originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Aari McDonald did not exactly turn in a mind-blowing performance in the Indiana Fever’s 80-70 win over the Las Vegas Aces on Thursday night. The 5-foot-6 guard, however, came up big down the stretch as she helped lead the Fever to their first win in three games.
It was McDonald who slammed the door shut on the Aces with a big triple with 33.8 seconds remaining in the game. The first-year Fever guard closed out Las Vegas with a clutch three in the final minute to give Indiana a 78-70 lead.
McDonald’s trey was one of the biggest moments of the game, and it drew quite a reaction from Fever superstar Caitlin Clark, who sat out for a third consecutive contest due to a lingering groin injury.
Clark was so hyped that she had to be held back by one of the Fever coaches as the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year celebrated McDonald’s clutch heroics.
caitlin’s running onto the court and had to be pulled back 😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/ZU9r2aVppe
— correlation (@nosyone4) July 25, 2025
It is important to note that no timeout was called after McDonald made the shot, which means that Clark could have been called for a technical foul for entering the court while the game was still in progress.
From another angle, Clark can be seen screaming loudly after seeing McDonald’s step-back triple hit the bottom of the net.
Caitlin is HYPED!!! pic.twitter.com/G3pD20pv0J
— Sam H (@defnotsamhere) July 25, 2025
Aari McDonald Has Stepped Up for the Indiana Fever in Caitlin Clark’s Stead
McDonald got her third straight start for the Fever on Thursday night as Clark’s primary replacement in the lineup. She responded with another solid performance, registering nine points, two rebounds, four assists, two steals and three triples against the Aces.
In the last three games, the former third overall pick has put up averages of 8.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.0 steals in 27.4 minutes of action. She’s also knocking down 1.7 triples per game on a 38.5% shooting clip.
It doesn’t seem like Clark will be coming back anytime soon, which should mean an increased load for McDonald in the interim. Clearly, she’s more than happy to answer the call.
Related: Indiana Fever Take Notice of Coach Stephanie White’s Outfit for Aces Game
Related: Caitlin Clark’s Immediate One-Word Reaction to Fever’s Win Against Aces
Related: Sophie Cunningham Steals the Spotlight With Her Eye-Catching Outfit for Fever-Aces Game
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 25, 2025, where it first appeared.
