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How would Caitlin Clark fare after the first absence of her collegiate or professional career? That's what everyone wanted to know heading into the Indiana Fever's national TV matchup with the then-undefeated, reigning champion New York Liberty on Saturday.

Eight-and-a-half minutes in, she gave a definitive answer. Over the span of 43 seconds late in the first quarter, Clark drained three consecutive 3-pointers, two of which were from beyond 30 feet, in one of her most exciting moments yet in a Fever jersey. 

Clark finished with a season-high 32 points, eight rebounds and nine assists, and tied her career-high with seven 3-pointers as the Fever handed the Liberty their first defeat of the season, 102-88. 

Caitlin Clark return: Ranking all seven of the superstar's 3-pointers from Fever's stunning win over Liberty
Jack Maloney
Caitlin Clark return: Ranking all seven of the superstar's 3-pointers from Fever's stunning win over Liberty

"I think you're just anxious to get out there and get playing again," Clark said. "I felt really good. There were a few periods where I felt a little tired, I asked for a sub there in the second quarter and Steph got me a quick one, but other than that my legs felt really strong. I felt in good shape." 

The new-look Fever got off to a 2-2 start prior to Clark's injury, but their losses were by a combined three points to the Atlanta Dream and Liberty, who are currently second and third, respectively, in the standings. The Fever were third in offensive rating (105.1), second in defensive rating (93.2) and second in net rating (plus-11.9) through their first four games, and looked like a serious playoff threat. 

Without Clark, they went 2-3 despite a much easier schedule, and notably lost to the lowly Connecticut Sun. Over those five games, their offensive rating fell to 99.5, their defensive rating fell to 96.9 and their net rating fell to plus-2.6. 

In Clark's return, they immediately looked like a contender again. The second-year guard has a long way to go to catch Napheesa Collier in the MVP race, but Saturday's outing was another reminder that few players are more important to their team's success than Clark. 

Here are CBS Sports' latest WNBA Power Rankings:

1
Liberty
The Liberty were the last remaining undefeated team this season, but their perfect start came to an end in Indianapolis with a loss to Caitlin Clark and the Fever. In the Liberty's defense, they were without two starters in Jonquel Jones (ankle) and Leonie Fiebich (overseas commitments). While Fiebich won't return until July, they'll hope to have Jones back in the lineup by Tuesday when they host the red-hot Dream.
2
Lynx
The Lynx lost their first game of the season this week in a shootout in Seattle but didn't sulk for long. A few days later, they returned home and destroyed the Sparks on Seimone Augustus day. The Lynx legend was in attendance to be honored for her induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. Thanks to the Liberty's loss, they've now taken sole possession of first place by percentage points.
3
Dream
The Dream may not have had the toughest schedule this week -- Caitlin Clark-less Fever, Sky and Mystics -- but they took care of business in emphatic fashion. They won by 19 points, 18 points and 33 points to improve to 8-3 on the season, which has them in third place. Rhyne Howard, who has had an up-and-down start to the season, tied the WNBA single-game record with nine 3-pointers in their win over the Sky.
4
Fever
Caitlin Clark returned in style on Saturday to help the Fever hand the reigning champion Liberty their first defeat of the season and return to .500 at 5-5. The Fever's offensive rating with Clark on the court this season is 108.5, equivalent to third in the league. Without her, their offensive rating plummets to 98.4, equivalent to 10th in the league.
5
Mercury
The Mercury returned to full strength this week, as Alyssa Thomas (calf) came back from a multi-week absence, while Natasha Mack (back) and Kahleah Copper (knee surgery) made their season debuts. They also picked up two wins to improve to 8-4, which is their best start through 12 games since 2018. Their defense continues to wreak havoc, and they boast a league-best 22.6% opponent turnover rate.
6
Storm
The Storm remain the most confusing team this season. On Wednesday, they shot 56.5% and scored 94 points to extend their winning streak to three games and hand the Lynx their first loss of the season. On Saturday, they shot 40.3% and managed just 70 points in a defeat to the expansion Valkyries. Just 11 games into the season, the Storm already have two three-game winning streaks and a three-game losing streak.
7
Valkyries
Here come the Valkyries. After a four-game losing streak, they've now ripped off three wins in a row to get to .500 on the season, which has them in playoff position. Their five wins are already more than the Dream -- the last expansion franchise to join the league -- had in their inaugural season in 2008. The Valkyries may not have any big names, but they play super hard and get after it defensively. If you aren't ready to compete, you could be in for a long night.
8
Aces
A'ja Wilson suffered a concussion in the Aces' loss to the Sparks, which continued a strange and frustrating season in Las Vegas. It remains unclear if Wilson, who is leading the Aces in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals, will be ready to go on Tuesday when they host the first-place Lynx. The Aces will certainly hope so, as they've dropped three of their last four and sit in eighth place at 5-5.
9
Sparks
Kelsey Plum's tirade after an overtime defeat to the Valkyries summed up a frustrating opening month of the season for the Sparks. "They were fouling the shit out of me every single play," Plum said. "So I'm very frustrated with that, and I'm sick of it. I'm sick of it. I don't know what I need to do. I talk to the refs nice. I pray before the game. Like, f---, I'm over it."
10
Mystics
The Mystics only had one game this week, and it was not a pleasant one, as they lost by 33 to the Dream. The defeat, which was their worst one as a franchise since 2021, came exactly a week after they beat the Sun by 37. As competitive as the Mystics have been for much of the season, they've won only two of their last nine games and have the second-worst offense in the league in that span.
11
Sky
The Sky finally enjoyed some good vibes on Sunday when they beat the Sun to snap a three-game losing streak. Angel Reese led the way with 11 points, 13 rebounds and a career-high 11 assists to record the first triple-double of her career. It took Reese just 44 career games to record her first triple-double; only Sabrina Ionescu (six games) and Caitlin Clark (22 games) have done so quicker.
12
Sun
The Sun only had eight available players for their lone outing this week, which ended in defeat to the Sky, a fellow bottom-feeder. Six of Connecticut's eight defeats have now come by double digits, and they are last in the league in offensive rating (90.3), defensive rating (112.2) and net rating (minus-22.0). To make matters worse, they're about to begin a stretch of seven games in 13 days, including a four-game West Coast swing.
13
Wings
Paige Bueckers finally returned to action, but the Wings' losing ways continued. After blowing a double-digit lead in the last four minutes to the A'ja Wilson-less Aces, the Wings have now dropped seven games in a row to fall to 1-11. To make matters worse, Tyasha Harris was ruled out for the remainder of the season after undergoing knee surgery. The Wings acquired Li Yueru from the Storm to boost their frontcourt depth with Luisa Geiselsöder (Germany) and Teira McCowan (Turkey) heading to EuroBasket Women.