"Only 22 minutes? Odd": Skip Bayless perplexed with Christie Sides' decision to not play Caitlin Clark in final 15 minutes vs Sun

Fever rookie Caitlin Clark's lack of minutes during Indiana's game against the Connecticut Sun on June 10 came as a surprise to the onlookers. Clark only played 21:58 minutes against the Sun on Monday as the Fever were handed a blowout loss on the road.

Surprisingly, Caitlin Clark missed the entire 4th quarter of action against the Sun. The Fever rookie played the starting 5:19 minutes in the 3rd quarter and once she was taken out of the game by coach Christie Sides in the penultimate period, Clark never returned to the court.

Clark was in foul trouble during the game against the Sun and ended with four fouls to her name. With two fouls still to give, Clark missing the final 15 minutes of the game surprised the onlookers.

NBA analyst Skip Bayless was among the onlookers perplexed with Clark only playing 22 minutes against the Sun on Monday. Skip took to X and underlined that at a time when the Indiana Fever's rookie needs more reps under her belt, the decision to sit the final 15 minutes of the game was "odd."

"A little odd that Caitlin Clark left the game mid-3rd q with 4 fouls and never returned, even as fans in Ct. chanted, "We want Caitlin." Yes, it was a blowout. And yes, Dijonai Carrington is a tough matchup for her. But only 22 minutes, when she needs reps? Odd," Skip wrote on X.

At the time when Clark was benched by Fever coach Sides, Indiana trailed Connecticut 39-65. The non-starters for the Indiana Fever played well on the night after the starting lineup led by Clark struggled immensely.

Ultimately, Fever suffered their 10th defeat of the season with a 72-89 loss to the Sun on Monday and slumped to a 3-10 record after playing 13 matches

Caitlin Clark found it tough against the Sun

Caitlin Clark played a season-low 21:58 minutes against the Sun on Monday. The Fever rookie also endured one of the toughest games of the season.

Clark only scored 10 points on 3-8 shooting from the field and 2-5 shooting from the three-point range. She only had two assists and a steal while the No.1 overall pick failed to grab a single rebound.

Clark had a +/- rating of -30 on the night, which was the worst by any Indiana Fever player. The Fever rookie was thoroughly outplayed by DiJonai Carrington, who scored 22 points for the Sun and played terrific defense on Clark.