Fever's Caitlin Clark got punched in the throat, and the refs didn't call a foul

Caitlin Clark is often defended physically by opposing teams.

Sometimes, that verges on dirty play against the Indiana Fever superstar, and that's what happened against the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday night.

Clark drove to the hoop and was crushed as she lost the ball.

As Clark went to the ground, Alyssa Thomas appeared to knee Clark in the groin and drive her first into Clark's throat area.

No foul was called.

This is a tough one to figure out.

Maybe the Mercury got the ball initially, but then the two-player traffic ends up clobbering Clark.

It looks worse slowed down, because Thomas' fist ended up near Clark's face more by momentum than by any obvious intent.

Still, it's the kind of thing the WNBA can't have happening to Clark. She's too important to the league.

And yes, that's how these things work in professional sports. Clark has to be at least a bit protected, and on this play, she wasn't.

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