​On Wednesday, Caitlin Clark stepped back onto the court for the Indiana Fever for the first time since suffering a back injury on June 24. The layoff gave the 24-year-old a little over two weeks to heal, but she produced a season-low 15 minutes in the Fever’s 106-92 defeat to the Los Angeles Sparks. With another game on the schedule for Thursday, fans are left wondering: will Clark be back in the lineup?
According to Chloe Peterson of The Indy Star Sports, Clark has been ruled out for tonight’s matchup in Phoenix. Meanwhile, three-time All-Star Aliyah Boston is considered probable to return from her right lower leg injury against the Mercury.
Returning from the back injury, Clark went 4-for-12 from the field, scoring nine points against Los Angeles. She also contributed four rebounds, four assists, and a steal, but tallied four turnovers and a foul. Her plus-minus for the game was a team-low -15 in a 14-point loss for Indiana. Even though she logged 15 minutes, the plan all along had been for Clark to sit out the second game of Indiana’s back-to-back, meaning she will miss the highly anticipated rematch with Phoenix.
In their last meeting, these two teams saw Clark on the receiving end of an uncalled incident when Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas delivered a fist to her throat. Clark later exited the game with a back injury as Phoenix secured a 111-109 victory.
Following Wednesday’s loss to the Sparks, Indiana sits at 12-9 and has fallen into a second-place tie in the Eastern Conference with the Atlanta Dream. The New York Liberty now leads the East with a 13-9 record. The Mercury, meanwhile, stand at 8-14 and in seventh place in the Western Conference. The Fever and Mercury do not meet again this season, so a Clark–Thomas rematch will likely have to wait until next year.
Heading into Wednesday’s action, Clark had been tied with Thomas for the WNBA’s assist lead at 8.2 assists per game. After the game, Clark remains among the league leaders, now ranking second with 7.9 assists per game, just behind Thomas, who sits at 8.2. Clark’s scoring average also dipped slightly, from 21.2 points per game to 20.5, moving her from fourth to sixth in the league rankings.
Indiana’s next game is slated for Sunday against the Las Vegas Aces. If all goes as planned and there are no setbacks, Clark is expected to return to the lineup. This latest update comes as fans and analysts alike anticipate her continued impact on the Fever’s offense and their playoff positioning.