The 2024 All-Star had missed the Fever's last four games with a quad injury. In addition to her brief layoff, she was facing the worst possible matchup. New York had dominated its foes through nine games. Prior to Saturday, the Liberty boasted an 88.1 defensive rating, per WNBA.com.

There was a lot of anticipation leading up to Saturday's showdown between the Indiana Fever and the New York Liberty. This is after the Fever announced that Caitlin Clark was set to return after a five-game injury absence in Indiana's home matchup against the defending champs.