INDIANAPOLIS — Forget about guarding Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark at the full length of the court. What about picking her up between free throws?

That's what Los Angeles Sparks guard Aari McDonald (accidentally) did in the first quarter Tuesday night.

After Clark picked up a technical foul for talking back to the officials — her second of the season — McDonald went to shoot the free throws. After making her first, McDonald immediately backpedaled to get right in front of Clark.

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On first glace, it looked like McDonald was getting in Clark's face, trying to say something after the Fever rookie's tech. But it wasn't anything like that.

McDonald's defensive assignment was Clark, and she was so focused on guarding the WNBA's newest sensation she forgot she had to shoot a second free throw.

"I think she was just trying to pick me up, I don't think she realized she got another free throw," Clark said postgame, emphasizing McDonald didn't say anything to her. "It was the technical free throw, I saw that though... a kind person, honestly."

McDonald didn't have any malice to her actions; with a technical free throw added on to her and-1, it was just a lapse. But it was also indicative of how closely teams are guarding Clark.

Clark is frequently being picked up at 94 feet when she's trying to catch the inbound pass, and opponents are looking for any way to force her to pass or turn the ball over. They don't want the ball in her hands, because they know how much of a threat she can be.

More: Caitlin Clark scores career-high 30 points, but Fever lose to LA Sparks, fall to 1-7

But as the back-to-back national player of the year averaging over 30 points per game her senior season at Iowa, the physicality was something Clark expected.

The physicality in the WNBA is extremely different than the college ranks — players have more freedom to push each other around and make harder fouls. As a rookie, too, Clark doesn't get many fouls to go her way.

"I think everybody is physical with me, they get away with things that probably other people don't get away with," Clark said. "It's tough, but that's just the fact of the matter. This is a very physical game, and you're going to get pressure, this is professional basketball. It is what it is, honestly."

Even as she's adapting to the physical game, Clark's scoring prowess hasn't gone away. Just eight games into her pro career, Clark had her first 30-point game, finishing Tuesday night's 88-82 loss to Los Angeles with a career-high 30 points, six assists, five rebounds, three steals and three blocks — the fourth time a WNBA player has put up that stat line in league history.

"I think I just played with an aggressive mindset," Clark said. "That was the biggest thing. I tried to play downhill the best I could. I would've liked to make a couple more 3s, but I had to take some there at the end that were a little contested."

Clark was the X-Factor on the court — the Fever were +4 in her 34 minutes and -10 in the six minutes she sat. Four of her minutes on the bench came in the third quarter, and the Sparks went on a 9-0 run during that time.

Coming straight from a college season, Clark can't play all 40 minutes. When it comes to rotations, though, the Fever will need to find the best time to keep Clark out of the game and let her get a breather — and with her being the most dynamic player on the team, it's a difficult line to walk.

Follow IndyStar Fever Insider Chloe Peterson on X at @chloepeterson67.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Caitlin Clark scores career-high as she adjusts to WNBA's physicality