Caitlin Clark and DeWanna Bonner got into a heated altercation during the fourth quarter of the Indiana Fever's 86-77 win over the Phoenix Mercury on Monday night. The two tangled on a physical possession with seven minutes left as officials hit Clark with her fifth technical foul of the season.
Tensions Boil Over Between Indiana Fever and Phoenix Mercury
Things quickly spiraled after the play.
Fever guard Sophie Cunningham stepped to the veteran Mercury forward, and both former teammates received double technical fouls. Indiana forward Myisha Hines-Allen then shoved Bonner and was ejected after earning a second technical. The chaos stretched the fourth quarter to 44 minutes.
Despite the foul frenzy, Clark still finished with 24 points and nine assists to lead the Fever to the win. However, the fallout extends beyond the box score.
Caitlin Clark Nears WNBA Suspension After 5th Technical Foul
Under the WNBA's updated fine structure for 2026, Clark's fifth technical carries a $1,000 penalty.
The escalating system, introduced under the league's new CBA, jumps to $1,500 per technical starting at eight. That eighth tech also triggers an automatic one-game suspension, with every other technical after that adding yet another missed game.
Clark now sits three technicals away from that threshold. After the game, she made clear she thought the call was absurd.
"It's ridiculous, I got a technical for clapping," she told reporters. "We should all just go on the calendar now and pick a game I'm going to be suspended for if I'm going to get technicals for clapping."
The Fever and Mercury meet again Wednesday at 7:30 PM ET, live on USA Network.
