Key Takeaways
- Caitlin Clark scored 37 points with 10 assists in Indiana’s 113-90 win over Chicago, shooting 8-of-12 from three and recording her fifth career 30-point, 10-assist game.
- WNBA broadcaster Cindy Brunson accused Clark of “stat padding” by playing late with a 20-point lead, then dismissed her historic milestone as a “small sample size.”
- Fans accused Brunson of a double standard after she praised Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese for standout performances without questioning their playing time or competition.
Caitlin Clark dropped 37 points and 10 assists in a 113-90 Indiana Fever win over the Chicago Sky. Instead of simply applauding the performance, veteran women’s basketball broadcaster Cindy Brunson took a shot at the Fever star for supposedly padding her stats.
"Miss me with that stat padding 37 points, on the floor up 20 w/ a minute to go BS," Brunson wrote in a since-deleted post, according to Fox News. She then contrasted Clark's performance with another big night elsewhere in the league, writing that "the 32 points in just 26 minutes was WAY more impressive."
Clark's night was hardly ordinary. She shot 13-of-24 from the field, went 8-of-12 from three-point range, and recorded her fifth career game with at least 30 points and 10 assists. Clark now owns more 30-point, 10-assist games than the rest of WNBA history combined.
When that milestone was pointed out later, Brunson called it a “small sample size” but compared Clark’s statistical dominance to Alyssa Thomas’ triple-double record, calling it “just dominant.” Brunson later clarified that she meant the comparison as a compliment.
The contrast became harder to ignore when Brunson praised Paige Bueckers after a 22-point, 11-assist performance in a 96-78 Dallas Wings victory. The margin wasn't dramatically different from Indiana's win over Chicago, but Brunson didn't raise the same "stat padding" concern. When challenged on that inconsistency, she argued the circumstances were "different."
A similar debate followed Angel Reese's record-breaking rebounding night. After Reese grabbed 26 boards to break the WNBA's single-game record and also set a new season rebounding mark, Brunson praised the performance as "so impressive" and "TUFF."
When users questioned the competition and playing time, Brunson responded, "It doesn't matter who the competition is, she set not one, but two WNBA records tonight."
The scrutiny also comes amid a longer-running conversation around Clark's treatment by WNBA media figures. Over the past several months, Clark has been at the center of nearly every major league debate, from hard fouls and officiating to whether she should be considered the face of the WNBA.
