NEW YORK (AP) — The WNBA has suspended Phoenix's Alyssa Thomas for one game after she made contact with her fist to Caitlin Clark's throat in Wednesday night's matchup against Indiana.
It happened with 6:52 left in the second quarter and was deemed to be a non-basketball act. The league gave Thomas a Flagrant Foul 2 penalty for it. No foul was called on the play by officials.
The WNBA is allowed to review a game to reclassify a Flagrant foul or to classify as Flagrant any foul not called as such during a game.
Thomas will serve her suspension on Saturday when the Mercury visit the Toronto Tempo.
“It was egregious. The fact that it was a no-call … You got to call it,” said Fever coach Stephanie White after the game. “You’re coming in here aware of what happened two nights ago and that (expletive) still happens? Absolutely unacceptable.”
This isn’t the first time the league has upgraded a foul against Clark. Last season Marina Mabrey, when she was with Connecticut, received a technical foul in a game against Indiana. The league later upgraded it to a Flagrant 2. Over the years the NBA has had a few instances where the league upgraded a play that resulted in a suspension.
The two teams also played on Monday night and there were six technical fouls called and one ejection. Clark picked up her fifth technical of the season in that game. The team petitioned the league to have it rescinded, but the WNBA confirmed that the technical will stand.
The physical play carried over to Wednesday's game which the Mercury won 111-109.
Clark left the game in the third quarter as she was dealing with a back issue. She appeared to tweak her back in the second quarter when she was fouled shooting a 3-pointer in the second quarter. She fell to the ground and was rubbing her back as she stood up. In the first quarter she went back to the tunnel and returned to the bench wearing a wrap around her back.
She finished the game with 19 points and eight assists in 20 minutes.
AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas (25) strips the ball from Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale (24) during the first half of a WNBA basketball game in Arlington, Texas, Thursday, June 11, 2026. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) drives on Atlanta Dream guard Te-Hina Paopao (2) in the first half of a WNBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Thursday, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
The Florida Panthers ensured they would not lose any of their grit with A.J. Greer expected to leave in free agency by acquiring Garnet Hathaway from the Philadelphia Flyers in a trade Thursday.
Florida sent a fifth-round pick in the draft Saturday and a fourth-rounder next year to Philadelphia for the 34-year-old winger. Hathaway has one season left on his contract at a salary cap hit of $2.4 million.
Hathaway joins the Panthers fresh off them trading for Brady Tkachuk to unite him with brother Matthew after missing the playoffs following back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2024 and '25.
Greer played a key depth role on the second of those title runs. Now 29, he could be a coveted addition when he hits the open market Wednesday.
The Washington Capitals made another move during their busy week, sending pending restricted free agent forward Hendrix Lapierre to rival Pittsburgh. The Penguins traded a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth-rounder for the 24-year-old who never fully realized his potential with the team that drafted him and may benefit from a change of scenery.
Washington subtracted after adding two potential difference-makers in trades for Jordan Kyrou and Alex Tuch.
With the first round of the draft Friday night, the wheeling and dealing is only expected to pick up. After sending Kyrou to the Caps for fellow forward Connor McMichael, the 16th pick and a prospect, Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said the trade “allows the other 31 teams to digest what St. Louis is trying to accomplish and see if they can participate.”
“Instead of 12 hours, it allows them 48-plus hours to really dig into what they have and what we have and see if there’s a potential match there,” said Armstrong, whose team has a league-high four first-rounders. “Everyone knows what we have, and if they want to engage St. Louis at pick 1, 2, 3, 4, they know what we have and I would welcome the call.”
Toronto's John Chayka told reporters Wednesday the Maple Leafs listened to calls about the first pick but decided to keep it. They are expected to take Penn State's Gavin McKenna, a winger from the Yukon who has generated buzz for quite some time.
San Jose is worth watching closer after trading young forward William Eklund, who is cost-controlled through 2029, to Ottawa for the No. 9 pick, giving the Sharks another in the top 10 after No. 2.
“I think teams are curious to what what our plan was to do with 9,” GM Mike Grier said. “There's lots more calls on 9 and probably two more on 2 — one that's real interesting. ... All stuff for us to consider.”
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL
FILE - Philadelphia Flyers' Garnet Hathaway celebrates after scoring during the second period of Game 2 in the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Pittsburgh, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
