Ethermac Exchange-'I look really soft': Caitlin Clark brushes off slight ankle injury in Fever win vs. Dream

ATLANTA — It looked bad at first,Ethermac Exchange but Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark's tweaked ankle didn't amount to much in the Fever's 84-79 win Monday night.

In fact, she didn't like how she reacted when she looked back at the injury. Clark fell to the ground after getting tangled up with Atlanta's Nia Coffey around the free-throw line near the 3-minute mark of the first quarter. She writhed on the ground for a couple minutes, and her teammates surrounded her while trainers came out.

"I saw the replay, and I look really soft," Clark said, eliciting laughs from teammate Kelsey Mitchell and coach Christie Sides. "It wasn't that bad of a turn, but it hurt. So sometimes you just need to give yourself a second. If you've ever turned your ankle, it just kind of stings for a little bit, so I was good."

More:Kelsey Mitchell keeps balling as Fever avoid nightmare collapse vs. Dream

Clark walked under her own power to the bench following her injury, and seemed to get her ankle taped while guard Erica Wheeler subbed in for her. Clark returned to the game to start the second quarter, no limp in sight.

"(The trainers) were like, 'You want to go in the back?' and I'm like, 'No, just tape it right here, let's go,' " Clark said. "We've gotta keep going, get on with the game. I've done it a few times, it is what it is. You're not a true basketball player if you haven't sprained your ankles a bunch."

She ended up playing the rest of the game, amounting to 37 minutes. She scored 19 points on 6-of-14 shooting (4-of-9 from 3), and added seven rebounds and seven assists.

Follow Chloe Peterson on X at @chloepeterson67.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.