Caitlin Clark is caught trolling WNBA referee as Indiana Fever slip to miserable loss without sidelined star

Despite spending her fifth straight game on the sidelines, Caitlin Clark still managed to get caught up with the referees Saturday night. 

Clark, who is currently out with a lingering groin injury, watched on as her Indiana Fever teammates blew a fourth-quarter lead in the final minute of an eventual 89-87 defeat to the Los Angeles Sparks.

The 23-year-old spent the night on the bench but still managed to share a hilarious moment with an official. 

During a timeout, Clark's hilarious antics were caught on camera as she appeared to high-five a referee. 

The former Iowa star had been hyping up her teammates, including Sophie Cunningham, as she dapped them up before turning to do the same to the official. 

The referee, however, didn't fall for the bait and left her hanging before giving her a playful nudge on the shoulder. 

Whether Clark's gesture was an intentional prank or an honest case of mistaken identity, she found the moment hilarious as she scampered back to the bench giggling. 

However, while Clark still appeared to be managing to have fun on the court, her teammates were not. 

Earlier in the week, Indiana won its first trophy since 2012 by securing the Commissioner's Cup on the road against the Lynx. On Thursday, the Fever defeated A'ja Wilson and Las Vegas by 27.

But after two dominant wins earlier in the week over the Minnesota Lynx and Las Vegas Aces, that streak came to an end as the Fever lost to 10th-place Western Conference rivals Los Angeles for the second time in nine days.

The team are now 4-4 with her on the court and 5-5 with the phenom watching from the sidelines this season. 

Saturday's miserable loss came two weeks before the WNBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis, where Clark was voted a captain despite her multiple absences.

She was named an All-Star Game captain by being one of the two players receiving the most fan votes. Lynx star Napheesa Collier and Clark will now have the opportunity to draft from a pool of the other WNBA All-Stars to create two teams ahead of the festivities.

Clark gets her second All-Star selection in her sophomore professional season, having represented 'Team WNBA' in last year's extravaganza against Team USA before the Paris Olympics .

Before Clark's second multi-game injury absence of the season , her teammates were rallying around her after a few dismal performances.

Despite Clark's injury-return game against the New York Liberty on June 14, after missing five games, and the scrappy contest against the Connecticut Sun a few days later, the WNBA phenom's usually sharpshooting touch has been anything but ironclad.

Against the Seattle Storm, Clark was 3-for-13 from the field, including an 0-of-6 mark from 3-point range. In the Fever's two previous games before Tuesday night's victory, Clark combined for a 1-of-17 mark from beyond the arc, an unimaginable two-game line by the lofty standards set by the point guard.