WATCH: Caitlin Clark’s third technical foul moves her closer to an automatic suspension

Caitlin Clark received her third technical foul of the season in the Indiana Fever’s 103-88 loss to the Seattle Storm on Thursday.

The infraction occurred midway through the second quarter after Clark hit a long three-pointer over Seattle’s Victoria Vivians. The two stared at each other before exchanging insults and shoulder-bumping. The referees quickly whistled the players for technical fouls before Clark’s teammate Aliyah Boston stepped between them to prevent further confrontation.

As mentioned, the technical foul was Clark’s third of the season, which puts her closer to an automatic suspension. In the WNBA, a player receives a one-game penalty when she accumulates seven technical fouls. From then on, each additional technical foul carries an additional suspension (so #9, #11, #13, etc.).

Clark receiving such a suspension would not be unprecedented. Phoenix Mercury star Diana Taurisi has been suspended four times for too many technical fouls, including twice in one season, as Chloe Peterson of the Indianapolis Star pointed out.

In the NBA, a player is suspended for one game after his 16th technical foul of the season. That’s what happened to Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors in the 2022/23 season.

Clark received her first technical penalty in the Fever’s fourth game of the season, when she uttered a curse with a referee nearby. Her second technician came under similar circumstances earlier this week against the Los Angeles Sparks when she complained about a whistle, prompting Fever coach Christie Sides to respond.

“We spend too much time talking to the referees,” Sides said after Tuesday’s loss to the Sparks. “We’ve got to stop doing that. We’ve got to just play our game and let them do their job and not let them make decisions that ultimately hurt us. We don’t want to — we shouldn’t ask technical questions. Let me ask the technical questions. Let me address the referees.”

Clark also risks receiving a larger fine for each technical foul she receives for the rest of the season. WNBA players are fined $200 for each of their first three technical fouls. The fine increases to $400 for fouls 4 through 6 and $800 for each subsequent technical foul.

Nine games into her rookie season, Clark seems to be growing more comfortable in WNBA play. She scored 20 points with nine assists in Thursday’s loss to the Storm. However, she also had seven turnovers, which is a constant problem as she and her teammates adjust to the court.

The Fever enter Saturday’s game against the Chicago Sky (3-3) with a record of 1-8.