Caitlin Clark makes candid NBA Finals admission after Indiana Pacers loss

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark was in attendance for Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night, but had to duck out early

Indiana Fever star guard Caitlin Clark confessed she didn't stick around for the entirety of Friday's Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder.

Clark has been a good luck charm for the Pacers during the postseason – with her in attendance, they had an impressive 8-0 run going into Game 4. However, the Pacers fell short on Friday night, losing 111-104 after a remarkable late surge from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who racked up 15 points in the final five minutes of the game.

Unfortunately, Clark missed out on witnessing the NBA MVP's stunning performance. The Fever's key player disclosed that she had to duck out of Game 4 early because she was due to make her comeback from a quad injury that had kept her off the court for three weeks in less than 24 hours.

"I didn't stay the whole time. I'm not gonna lie to you," Clark shared with reporters before the Fever's 102-88 victory over the New York Liberty, which tipped off at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday. "I wasn't gonna miss the game. But also, you know, this [Fever game] is my focus. And I have to prepare for this.

"So I went home and watched the film, went over the rest of our scout, and I was asleep. I watched that, but then I went to sleep right away. So, tough one trying to balance.

"Maybe if this game was a little bit later, I probably would have stayed the entire time. But it was a great game, fun game for the Pacers."

The Pacers were dominating the game until the Thunder turned it around in the final quarter, showing the Pacers can challenge the favorites. The Finals series is now tied 2-2 as they head back to Oklahoma City for Game 5 on Monday.

Clark expressed confidence in the Pacers, asserting their potential to snag their first NBA championship. "I feel so very confident in their ability to win it all," she declared.

"That's what makes these Finals so fun, it's when teams go and steal one on the road. We stole one there, they stole one here. So now we got to go and steal one there essentially to win it all, which I think obviously, we've already proven we're capable of.

"And I think we're going to do just that."

Sporting a special pair of sneakers with a tribute to her beloved dog, Clark dazzled fans with her comeback, dropping an almost 32-point triple-double and handing the Liberty their first season defeat.

Despite feeling weary during the game, Clark was relentless — even hitting a fierce spree of three 3-pointers in under a minute toward the end of the first quarter.