How the Valkyries shut down Caitlin Clark in her return and proved their defensive dominance is for real

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Caitlin Clark’s frustrating season continued Wednesday, as she made an uneventful return from her second extended injury absence — this time a groin strain. During a matinee matchup, Clark played 25 minutes and finished with 10 points, five rebounds, six assists and four turnovers on 4 of 12 from the field in the Indiana Fever’s 80-61 loss to the Golden State Valkyries. 

“It’s gonna take me a second to get my wind back,” Clark said. “There’s not really anything that can replicate it other than a true game. I felt pretty good, I was trying to play shorter stints, but sometimes it’s almost harder to sit on the bench and then come back into the game, so it’s just kind of finding a balance with that.” 

Clark wasn’t the only Fever player who had a rough day. As a team, Indiana shot a season-worst 30.9%, including 6 of 27 (22.2%) from the 3-point line. This is the second time this season that Clark and the Fever have been shut down by the Valkyries, who continue to dominate defensively. 

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After Wednesday’s win, the Valkyries boast the second-best defensive rating in the league (97.3) and the best field goal defense. They are holding opponents to 39.4% from the field, which would be the best mark in that category by any team since the 2015 New York Liberty. 

The Valkyries’ effort on that side of the ball is the biggest reason why they sit in sixth place in the standings at 10-9 and are on pace to become the first expansion team to make the playoffs in their inaugural season. 

Let’s take a closer look at how the Valkyries have had so much defensive success, both on the season as a whole and specifically against Clark and the Fever. 

Physicality

The first time these teams played, the Valkyries held Clark to 11 points on 3 of 14 from the field. After the game, Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase pointed to her group’s physicality as a major reason for success against one of the league’s premier perimeter players. 

“I mean, you guys saw what we’re doing. We were being disruptive. We know [Clark] doesn’t like physicality,” Nakase said. “We know she wants to get to that left stepback. I watched her at Iowa, she loves that left stepback, it’s almost like a layup for her. So we were just making sure she wasn’t getting into rhythm and then that she was seeing multiple bodies.” 

The Valkyries didn’t change their strategy on Wednesday. Clark hardly had a moment’s peace when she was on the floor. She often saw multiple defenders, and was being bumped, jostled and/or held whether she was on or off the ball. 

Here, early in the third quarter, Clark tried to drive and was cut off by Kayla Thornton, who reached in and smacked her on the side, leading to a turnover. 

Later in the third, Clark was once again knocked off stride as she tried to drive, this time by Carla Leite. While Clark eventually worked her way into a look she’s capable of making, it was a tough runner with a hand in her face after multiple bumps. 

Clark could easily argue that both of these plays — particularly the first one — should have been called fouls, but they were not. The Valkyries’ physicality has been a trademark of their defense all season, and helps make up for the fact that they are undersized. Their work against Clark has drawn the most headlines, but they’re willing to mix it up with any opponent. 

For the most part, the Valkyries have been able to play this way without giving up an abundance of free throws. Their .288 opponent free-throw rate ranks seventh, right in the middle of the league. 

Shutting off the paint

The Fever lead the league in points in the paint per game (39.8), but were held to a season-low 26 on Wednesday thanks to the Valkyries’ ability to shut off the paint. They allow just 28.1 points in the paint per game, which is not only the best mark in the league this season, but the best by any team since the 2018 Las Vegas Aces. 

Any time the Fever got into the paint, or even tried to, the Valkyries would instantly collapse and swarm to the ball to cut off driving lanes and congest the space. The Fever shot 13 of 29 in the paint and 15 of 41 on 2-pointers. Not only does the Valkyries’ activity and togetherness prevent teams from getting clean looks in the paint, but it forces them into poor midrange shots. 

Take a look at this possession in the first quarter where Clark got a step on Kaitlyn Chen, but three Valkyries immediately slid over to offer help. Instead of trying to finish in traffic, Clark settled for a stepback jumper and missed. Clark was 2 of 7 inside the arc, well below her season average of 50.8% on 2s. 

The Valkyries allow the fewest shots per game within five feet and coerce teams into the third-most midrange attempts per game. That’s a recipe for success, as we saw on Wednesday when the Fever took 13 shots in the restricted area and 12 shots from the midrange. 

Here’s a look at how the Valkyries compare to the other top teams in the league in each category. 

Shots allowed within five feet

Shots allowed from the midrange

Clark wasn’t the only player who strugged to get anything going toward the basket. Notably, All-Star center Aliyah Boston was limited to six points on 2 of 8 shooting in her worst offensive outing of the season. 

“We ask a lot out of Temi [Fagbenle], [Monique Billings] and [Laeticia Amihere] and they execute,” Valkyries guard Veronica Burton said. “They come in every single day, they cover for us and hold it down against big time post players.”

Controlling the glass

The Valkyries may be undersized, but as Thornton said Wednesday, “We’re not the biggest team, but we’ve got big hearts.” 

The Valkyries only have three players above 6-foot-2 and no one above 6-foot-4 but are still an elite rebounding team on both sides of the ball. 

They are third in offensive rebounding rate (32.9%), third in defensive rebounding rate (71.8%) and third in overall rebounding rate (52.4%). Against the Fever, they won the rebounding battle 47-36 and held the home team to just seven offensive rebounds. 

Nearly three-quarters of the time, it’s one-and-done against the Valkyries. They’re forcing opponents into the shots they want them to take — often low-percentage looks — and then finishing the possession with a rebound. It’s hard to make the first shot against the Valkyries and even harder to get another opportunity. 

Combine that with their own offensive rebounding prowess and the Valkyries regularly win the possession battle. That was the case again on Wednesday as they took more field goals (70-68) and free throws (21-14) than the Fever. 

This news was originally published on this post .

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