The Caitlin Clark vs. Paige Bueckers rivalry remains very much alive—despite only one side of it taking the court Friday night, as the Indiana Fever faced off against the Dallas Wings at American Airlines Center.
Paige Bueckers Thrives as Caitlin Clark Sits Out
Clark was sidelined once again, missing her sixth straight game due to a re-aggravated groin injury. With no clear timetable for her return, the Fever are taking a cautious approach with their franchise star as she recovers.
Meanwhile, Bueckers held up her end of the rivalry. The 23-year-old led her team with 22 points on 7-of-14 shooting, adding four rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Though she missed her lone three-point attempt, the 6-foot guard was perfect from the free-throw line, hitting all eight of her attempts during her 34 minutes on the floor.
Clark, Bueckers Comparison Causes a Stir
Ion’s broadcast of the highly anticipated matchup sparked heavy criticism online after a confusing on-air comparison between Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers went viral.
“You can tell they are two different styles of players. Paige is getting people involved. Caitlin’s more looking for her shot,” a reporter said during the telecast.
The problem? That statement directly contradicted the graphic shown onscreen, which highlighted Clark’s superior playmaking numbers—her 8.4 assists per game as a rookie far outpace Bueckers’ 5.5 average. The stat clearly suggests Clark is the one more focused on distributing the ball.
Social media users wasted no time calling out the contradiction.
“Like can they not read?! The assists stats are right in front of their face 😭😂” one person posted on X.
“This take brought to you by folks who don’t read box scores,” another wrote.
“Dumbest take, ever,” added a third.
Some fans, however, were quick to defend the broadcaster, chalking it up to a simple mix-up rather than an actual misunderstanding.
“They had to have mixed up the names. There is no way they are this wrong,” one comment suggested.
“She just twisted her tongue. Just like how sometimes they say Angel Clark 😂,” another added.
“They said that backwards lol,” a fan wrote.
At this point, unless the reporter clarifies the comment, it’s unclear whether it was a genuine mistake or a slip of the tongue. What is clear, though, is that the Clark vs. Bueckers rivalry continues to stir passionate debate—and fans are locked in on both sides.
