​Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark made her return to action for the Wednesday night matchup with the Los Angeles Sparks following a two-game absence. While she was back on the floor, Clark was limited and did not suit up for the following night’s game against the Phoenix Mercury, as the Fever chose to sit her out on the second leg of the back-to-back and take a cautious approach to reintegrating her into regular playing time.
With the Fever set to face the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday night, here is the latest on Clark’s status for that contest. Clark is officially listed as probable for Sunday, and head coach Steph White indicated on Saturday that she would be available for the game against the Aces. However, just as in her return on Wednesday, Clark’s minutes will be capped. The expectation is that she will log about 20 to 25 minutes, an increase from the 16 minutes she played in her first return game.
Caitlin Clark will be available against Las Vegas on a 20-to-25-minute restriction, White told the Indy Star’s Chloe Peterson. Clark clearly wasn’t at full strength in her first game back, which was understandable given she hadn’t played in several weeks. It didn’t help that she was used in short three-minute bursts throughout the contest, a pattern the WNBA All-Star acknowledged after the game.
“It’s really, really hard to get into a flow,” Clark said after the game. “For the most part, I got good looks, some of them went, some of them didn’t. I probably didn’t get to have a feel for the game as I usually do, like it’s just really, really hard for me to play in that scenario, but overall, my body feels great, so that’s the positive I can take from today.”
White explained that the three-minute spurts were intended to help Clark build stamina, but the Fever won’t employ that approach again on Sunday. The team aims to ease her back into a more consistent rhythm as they prepare for the Aces.
When and where to watch: Sunday, July 12, at 9:00 p.m. ET, at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The game will be broadcast on NBC and available for streaming on Peacock. For fans following Clark’s progress, Sunday’s matchup represents a key test in her gradual reintroduction to regular minutes and higher workload as the Fever navigate a challenging stretch.