Alyssa Thomas Suspended One Game After WNBA Upgrades Contact With Caitlin Clark to Flagrant Foul 2

INDIANAPOLIS — Phoenix Mercury star Alyssa Thomas has been suspended one game after the WNBA upgraded her contact with Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark to a Flagrant Foul 2, concluding she recklessly struck Clark in the throat during Wednesday night's game.

League officials announced the discipline one day after Phoenix escaped Gainbridge Fieldhouse with a 111-109 victory. According to the WNBA, the play was reviewed after the final buzzer because officials did not assess a foul during live play before the league upgraded the contact to a Flagrant Foul 2.

Replay review determined the contact occurred with 6:52 remaining in the second quarter after Clark drove into the lane, fell to the floor following contact from Lexi Held and became involved in a scramble for the ball. Thomas will serve the suspension Saturday when the Mercury visit the Toronto Tempo.

Clark remained in the contest after the throat contact before exiting in the third quarter with back issues following a separate play in which Valériane Ayayi closed out on her three-point attempt. Current reports have not linked the back injury directly to the earlier collision involving Thomas.

Indiana coach Stephanie White blasted the missed foul after the loss, calling it "absolutely egregious" and "utterly disrespectful." White also said Clark absorbed "two cheap shots" that went uncalled while arguing the Fever guard is not officiated the same way as other players.

Saturday's schedule places Phoenix in Toronto without its leading playmaker, while Indiana returns home to face the Los Angeles Sparks. Both teams enter the weekend looking to regroup after another bruising chapter in a growing on-court rivalry that has intensified over their last two meetings.

Thomas, a six-time WNBA All-Star, is averaging 14.7 points, 8.4 assists and 6.6 rebounds during her second season with Phoenix. Her suspension leaves the Mercury without one of their primary facilitators as they prepare to face the Canadian franchise.