Of the only entertaining parts about this game though was when a timeout was called and then Dana Bonner and Caitlyn Clark had some words. It was right after a foul was called and I believe it actually was a foul. Either way, Caitlyn Clark went out there defending her teammates, shoeing off Dana Bonner when Dana Bonner was finger twirling.
 
Dana Bonner just threw the biggest tantrum after going headto-head with Caitlyn Clark and the whole thing backfired. spectacularly. The former Fever player thought she could walk back into Phoenix and embarrass her old team, but Clark wasn’t having any of it. What happened next has everyone talking and Bonner’s postgame comments made things even worse.
 
What do you think about former players talking trash about their old teams? Let me know in the comments below. So, the Indiana Fever just took another loss to the Phoenix Mercury, and honestly, it wasn’t pretty. But the real drama wasn’t the score. It was Dana Bonner acting like she had something to prove against her former team.
 
The woman literally quit on the fever earlier this season, played only nine games, and now wants to act tough. The audacity is unreal. I can’t lie. Looking at this game, fam, the refs were calling some egregious fouls for the Mercury. I can’t lie. Like literally in this one, all Lexi Hole did was this right here. This it didn’t do that.
 
She reached for it, missed the missed the ball. I swear just caressed her wrist and the ref just calling that. Calling it. Now, literally, I just saw a few plays before that. I don’t know if it was a few plays before that, but I did see where Kelsey Mitchell was wearing Kalia Copper as a book bag, man. Backpack, backpack, patter. I’m like, where’s the foul on that? I mean, literally, she was sideways and everything on Kelsey Mitchell’s back.
 
No foul call. I’m like, “All right, let’s break down what actually happened here.” The Fever went into Phoenix knowing they were facing a team that loves to chuck threes all game long. The Mercury’s game plan is pretty simple. Spread the floor, let Alyssa Thomas work in the paint, and hope everyone else can hit their shots from deep.
 
It’s not rocket science, but it’s effective against teams that struggle with perimeter defense, which unfortunately describes the fever perfectly. The game started okay for Indiana. They had a small lead early on, and for a few minutes, it looked like they might actually put up a fight, but then the Mercury found their rhythm, and it was all downhill from there.
 
The Fever spent most of the game playing catchup, which is never a good sign when you’re on the road. Kelsey Mitchell was absolutely cooking, though. She dropped 29 points and was basically carrying the entire team on her back. Without her, this would have been a complete blowout. Lexi Hall also showed up with 18 points, so at least some people came to stay.
 
But the defense, that was a disaster. The Fever looked like they were playing with their eyes closed half the time. Now, here’s where things get interesting. Dana Bonner was running around the court like she was some kind of superstar, putting up 19 points and acting like she’d discovered the secret to basketball.
The same woman who was bricking shots and complaining about being tired when she was with the fever suddenly looked like a completely different player. It’s almost like she didn’t even try when she was in Indiana. And that’s what makes this whole situation so ridiculous. Bonner essentially gave up on the fever, left the team hanging after they were excited to have a veteran presence.
 
and now she’s out here acting like she’s proven something. Kelsey Mitchell even said she had the best vet in the world when Bonner arrived. Caitlyn Clark talked about wanting to win a championship for her. These players genuinely cared about having Bonner on the team and she just walked away. But the real fireworks came during a timeout when Bonner and Clark got into it.
 
There was a foul call and Bonner started doing her little finger wagging routine like she was some kind of ref. Clark wasn’t having any of it. She came out defending her teammates, getting in Bonner’s face, and letting her know exactly what she thought about the whole situation. Then you see Kaylin Clark to the right behind the coach coming out and jawing at Dana Bonner.
 
You could see Bonner saying, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, it was a foul.” While Clark was firing back with no foul, no foul. It was classic trash talk. But here’s the thing. Clark had every right to be heated. This is a player who quit on her team now trying to show off against her former teammates.
 
The disrespect was obvious and Clark called it out. What makes this even better is that Clark isn’t some rookie anymore. She’s in her second year. She’s proven herself and she’s not backing down from anybody. Bonner probably thought she could intimidate the young player, but Clark has been dealing with pressure and criticism since college.
 
A washed up veteran trying to start drama isn’t going to phase her. Definitely the Indiana Fevers rival team. The admin is constantly taking shots at the Indiana Fever. And after the game, it did seem like Alyssa Thomas in the postgame interview took these kind of slights towards like Steph White and the coaching. The really pathetic part came after the game when Bonner and her new teammates started running their mouths in the postgame interviews.
 
Alyssa Thomas basically said they knew everything the Fever were going to do because Stephanie White doesn’t change anything up. She claimed the team was predictable and easy to game plan against. That’s a direct shot at the coaching staff coming from someone who used to play for that same coach. I said earlier, we know everything.
 
They’re trying to run. Um so we we just form a game plan around that and um yeah, we know they’re a team that that likes to get to the free throw line and our goal is just to limit second chance opportunities and um just confess about that. But Thomas didn’t stop there. She had the nerve to call the Fever free throw merchants, claiming they’re a team that likes to get to the line a lot.
 
This is where the stupidity really shows. The Fever got eight free throw attempts compared to Phoenix’s 23. 8 versus 23. If anyone was getting favorable calls from the refs, it wasn’t Indiana. Indiana Beaver. I mean, I said earlier, I mean, we know everything. They’re trying to run. Um, so we we just form a game plan around that and um, yeah, we know they’re a team that that likes to get to the free throw line and our goal is just to to limit second chance opportunities.
 
And Thomas saying the Fever like to get to the free throw line is like saying water isn’t wet. It makes no sense when you look at the actual numbers to get to the free throw line. I mean, who doesn’t like to get to the free throw line? for one. But for two, again, of all the teams in the W, this team does not get to the free throw line as much as most other teams.
 
We can just look at the free throw disparity in this game. The Fever got to the line eight times compared to the 23 times that the Mercury got to the free throw line, and that is in majority due to Alyssa Thomas. The Fever are one of the teams that gets the least favorable whistles in the entire league.
 
Everyone knows the refs have it out for them, especially when it comes to protecting Caitlyn Clark. But here’s Thomas acting like they get special treatment. Damn. So, she’s basically saying Steph White doesn’t change it up at all and she knows everything they’re about to do. They’re super predictable. And whether or not this is true, that’s definitely kind of like shots at your former coach.
 
But that wasn’t all she said. She talked about how the Indiana Fever are basically free throw merchants, which is kind of confusing. Like there maybe have been a couple games where they get some free throws, but like of all teams in the W to say that they get to get the free throw line. The whole thing reeks of jealousy and pettiness.
 
Thomas and Bonner are on a team that’s trying to make noise in the playoffs, but they’re still obsessed with talking about their former coach in the fever. If Phoenix is so much better and so much smarter, why are they spending time in press conferences talking about Indiana? And let’s be real about Bonner’s performance. She looked good against the Fever, but that’s because she was getting fed easy shots by Thomas all game long.
 
She was running the court harder than she ever did in Indiana. Suddenly finding energy she claimed she didn’t have when she was with the Fever. It’s convenient how that works out. The truth is Bonner probably didn’t put in the work during the off season when she was with Indiana. She admitted to being tired and out of shape.
 
She didn’t give the fever enough time to get into playing condition, then left when things got difficult. Now she’s with Phoenix in better shape, playing with better players, and acting like she’s some kind of basketball genius. What really gets me is how personal this all feels. You can see it in the way Clark defended her teammates during that timeout.
 
You can hear it in the comments from the Mercury players after the game. This isn’t just basketball. There are real feelings involved here. Kelsey Mitchell talked about having the best veteran in the world when Bonner arrived. That excitement is gone now, replaced by the bitter taste of someone who gave up on the team.
 
Clark wanted to win a championship for Bonner, recognizing that this might be one of her last chances. Instead, Bonner chose the easy path. The Mercury ended up winning by six points, which isn’t exactly a blowout. The Fever actually outrebounded Phoenix and had more assists. They shot better from three-point range.
 
This wasn’t some masterclass performance by the Mercury. It was a close game that could have gone either way. But that doesn’t matter to Bonner and Thomas. They’re acting like they just won the championship. The postgame interviews were full of shots at Stephanie White, claims about knowing all of Indiana’s plays, and complaints about free throws that don’t match reality.
 
What’s really funny is that Phoenix coach Nate Tibbitz jumped in on the action, too. He was talking about how teams don’t get enough credit for dealing with injuries, which is rich coming from a guy whose team just beat a fever squad, missing key players. The lack of self-awareness is stunning. The whole situation shows what happens when players let their emotions get the better of them.
 
Instead of just playing basketball and moving on, Bonner and her new teammates are stuck in the past, still fighting battles that should be over. Clark handled the whole thing perfectly. She stood up for her teammates when it mattered, didn’t back down from the confrontation, and let her play do the talking. That’s what real leadership looks like, especially from someone in her second year.
 
Meanwhile, Bonner is out here acting tough against a team she abandoned. She’s celebrating a regular season win like it’s the finals. The optics are terrible and everyone can see through the act. The really sad part is that this could have been avoided if Bonner had just handled her departure with some class.
 
She could have left Indiana quietly, joined Phoenix, and focused on helping her new team without throwing shade at her old one. Instead, she chose drama. Now, every time these teams play, there’s going to be extra intensity. Clark and the Fever aren’t going to forget how they were treated. Bonner created an enemy where there didn’t need to be one.
And for what? A few points in a regular season game. The Mercury might think they’re clever for knowing Indiana’s plays, but that information came at a cost. They lost respect around the league for how they handled this whole situation. Other players are watching and they’re seeing how Phoenix treats former teammates who don’t work out.
 
As for the playoff implications, this loss hurts the Fever’s seating, but it’s not the end of the world. They still have games left against teams they can beat. The Mercury can celebrate this win all they want, but they’ll still have to prove themselves when the playoffs start. The bottom line is that Dana Bonner showed her true colors in this game.
 
She quit on a team that believed in her, then came back to gloat when she found a better situation. That’s not the behavior of a champion. That’s the behavior of someone who takes the easy way out. Caitlyn Clark, on the other hand, showed why she’s going to be a star in this league for years to come. She didn’t back down.
 
She protected her teammates and she handled the pressure like a veteran. That’s the difference between someone who’s built for big moments and someone who crumbles when things get tough. What’s even more telling is how this whole situation reflects the broader narrative around the fever this season. They’ve been dealing with adversity all year long, from injuries to tough scheduling to questionable referee calls.
 
Through it all, they’ve kept fighting and competing. That’s the kind of culture Clark is helping to build in Indiana. Compare that to Bonner’s approach. When things got difficult with the fever, she bailed. When she found an easier situation in Phoenix, she started talking trash about her former team. That mentality doesn’t win championships.
 
It just wins regular season games against teams you used to play for. The timing of all this trash talk is also suspect. Phoenix is gearing up for the playoffs and instead of focusing on their own preparation, they’re spending energy on petty drama with Indiana. That kind of distraction can come back to bite you when the pressure really ramps up in the postseason.
 
And let’s not forget that the Mercury barely scraped by a fever team that was missing key players and dealing with all sorts of chemistry issues. If that’s the best Phoenix can do against a struggling Indiana squad, what’s going to happen when they face fully healthy teams that actually want to beat them? The whole episode just reinforces why players like Clark are going to have long successful careers.
 
While players like Bonner will be remembered for the wrong reasons. One shows character under pressure. The other looks for excuses and easy ways out. The league is better when players compete with respect, not when they air dirty laundry in postgame press conferences. Dana Bonner thought she could embarrass her former team, but all she did was show everyone her true character.
 
Caitlyn Clark and the Fever will remember this disrespect when they meet again. If you enjoyed this breakdown of the drama, smash that like button and subscribe for more WNBA content that cuts through the nonsense.