Dave Portnoy wants brutal punishment for ex-NCAA player who compared Caitlin Clark to Jeremy Lin

That take aged poorly quickly. Clark followed it by putting together another major performance, even if the Fever could not close the game.

Caitlin Clark’s performance vs. Washington Mystics made Jeremy Lin comparison look worse

Clark finished with 32 points, 8 assists, and 4 rebounds against Washington, while shooting 7-of-17 from three.

Her biggest stretch came late. After struggling early, Clark exploded in the fourth quarter and hit a contested three with 1.7 seconds left to force overtime.

Indiana still lost, with Washington surviving behind big games from Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen.

But the result did not erase what Clark did. She dragged the Fever back into the game and nearly stole it with the kind of shot that explains why her spotlight remains so large.

That is why Portnoy’s defense landed with Clark’s supporters. The Fever are still figuring out how to win these games, but Clark’s star power and production are not disappearing.

Calling her a brief “Linsanity” moment was always going to invite backlash. After a 32-point night and another viral clutch shot, Portnoy made sure that backlash was loud.

Read more:

• Former NFL star presents impressive stats to silence Caitlin Clark’s hate
• WNBA Hall of Famer predicts 33% GMs to lose jobs after terrible Caitlin Clark answer
• Caitlin Clark’s hype gets compared to ‘Linsanity,’ ex-NCAA player slams Fever star