Nika Muhl heaps praise as 'one-eyed' Jewell Loyd erupts for season-high performance to outduel Caitlin Clark & co

Seattle Storm rookie Nika Muhl praised teammate Jewell Loyd, who put on a spectacle despite an injury, to outduel Caitlin Clark & co. as they hosted the Indiana Fever on Thursday. Muhl shared a photo of the 'one-eyed' Loyd on her Instagram story. Loyd had a season-high performance to lead the Storm to victory.

"THE COLDEST," Muhl captioned.

Muhl praises her teammate Loyd after season-high performance (Image: Nika Muhl Instagram)

After Loyd scored 13 points in the first nine minutes of the game, Lexie Hull's hand hit her left eye while she was trying to play off a screen. Before leaving the court for a medical checkup in the locker room, she converted both free throws to bring her tally up to 15 points in the first quarter.

Loyd concluded the game with a season-high 34-point performance on Thursday to lead the Storm to an 89-77 win against the Fever. She also recorded five rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block in the game. Meanwhile, Caitlin Clark led the Fever's losing effort with 15 points, six rebounds, seven assists and one block.

With the win, the Seattle Storm improved to 11-6 and now stands fourth in the league with a two-game winning streak. On the other hand, the Fever recorded their second straight loss to slip to a 7-12 record and are ninth in the league.

Jewell Loyd on her 34-point eruption against Fever

Jewell Loyd opened up about winning two straight games at home. She was the recipient of loud applause from the sold-out crowd as she began to answer the interview while hiding her injured eye.

“It feels good. It’s always nice to play ball in front of your home crowd and in front of your family. So, on to the next one,” Loyd said.

Coincidentally, the two-time WNBA champion scored her previous season-high of 32 points in the Storm's first matchup against the Fever. When asked about her increased efficiency against the Fever, Loyd further hyped up the crowd with her response.

“You guys came for a show, I’ll give you on,” Loyd said.

The Storm are 3-0 against the Fever this season and Jewell Loyd led the team's victory charge in all three of the matchups, averaging almost 30 points against Caitlin Clark and co.