INDIANAPOLIS — The Fever circus rolls on.

Another day, another drama, another headline.

But what’s been lost when every basketball possession becomes evidence in a larger argument is that Caitlin Clark has been playing really good basketball.

Her passing is ridiculous. Her pull-up 3 remains one of the most lethal shots in sports. She’s manipulating defenders with pace and reading the floor arguably better than ever.

On Saturday, amid yet another Fever game that somehow became a referendum on — gestures widely — everything, Clark recorded 26 points and 11 assists in a win against the Sky.

It was the latest in what’s been an impressive 3 ¹/₂ weeks for Clark.

During this eight-game stretch, she’s averaging 26.5 points and 9.3 assists while shooting 49.6 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from deep to help the Fever go 6-2.

Clark’s game is so fun, and the Fever are one of the most exciting teams in the league.

And yet, everything else surrounding her and her team is not.

In a lot of ways, Clark’s season personifies her team’s.

The Fever keep feeding people reasons to talk about anything except basketball, with Sophie Cunningham’s remarks about trans athletes being the latest fuel. But the way they’re playing commands the attention of the basketball world.

Injuries

From the sideline, Clark watched her team fall five minutes short of the Fever’s first Finals appearance since 2015 after a groin injury prematurely ended her sophomore season.

Clark returned this year healthy and determined.

But Clark and the Fever can’t seem to do anything without it becoming a thing.

Her back hurt.

She was ruled out of the Fever’s May 20 game less than two hours before tipoff, despite not being listed on the team’s availability report.

The WNBA issued the Fever a warning for failing to accurately update and disclose her status.

Her back has been a recurring issue causing her to miss games or be on a minutes restriction.

Incidents

Clark hit an early rough patch when her shot was not falling and she was being hunted on defense.

She got into it with her coach, Stephanie White, on the sideline in late May, and it became another headline, another thing.

Then, there was the situation with Alyssa Thomas a month later when the Mercury star struck Clark in the throat.

No foul was called on the play in real time, but the video went viral.

The WNBA reviewed it and retroactively assessed Thomas a flagrant-2 foul and a one-game suspension for what the league deemed reckless contact.

That should’ve been the end of it.

Of course, it wasn’t.

Instead, the incident became another referendum on Clark, the Fever, the WNBA, officiating, race, fandom and, somehow, American politics.

Three weeks later, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Clark had become a “political football,” all the while, Silver noted, she just wants to play basketball.

Technicals

Amid all this drama, Clark’s technical foul count has become its own subplot this season, too, because accumulating eight would mean a suspension.

She got a tech for barking at officials, and another for clapping at the Mercury bench. She received more for various reasons.

Clark’s passion and competitive fire have been painted with a broad brush as overly whiny and complaint-filled.

She was assessed an eighth tech in Saturday’s win against the Sky for essentially running into an official, meaning she would be suspended for Tuesday’s nationally televised game against the Liberty.

The league, though, rescinded it quicker than Usain Bolt on a treadmill.

Momentum

The 20-12 Fever are fourth in the standings.

They have the league’s best offense, anchored by their dynamic backcourt tandem of Clark and Kelsey Mitchell.

Their defense isn’t quite as sturdy but remains respectable, as Indiana has posted the league’s third-best net rating of plus-6.7.

The Fever’s 2026 season has been messy and occasionally ridiculous. The team has found itself in the thick of cultural debates.

The best way to make it about the game is to do the thing only one team does each season — win a championship.

For all the noise around Clark and the team, that’s probably the thing the Fever would prefer to talk about anyway.