After losing to the Los Angeles Sparks, without Caitlin Clark, last night, the Indiana Fever are set to play against the Dallas Wings tonight. The guard is suffering from a left groin injury, and her status for tonight’s match has now been confirmed.
Clark has already missed five games this season due to a left quad injury, and tonight will be her sixth. According to Kendra Andrews of ESPN, the Fever have confirmed that she will not be available for tonight’s game. Head coach Stephanie White clarified that this injury is not related to the ones Clark sustained during the preseason.
“I think it’s very much a day-to-day thing, how she responds to treatment,” White told reporters about Clark’s injury on Thursday. “You know, I kind of, I stay in my lane and let our strength and conditioning and our physical, our AT staff do what they do best. But yeah, I found out late last night and then we’ll treat it day-to-day.”
For the Fever, this is not an ideal time to lose their standout player. The team is facing a hectic July schedule, in which they will play nine matches before the All-Star break. While White admitted to thinking about it, she remains hopeful, saying: “At the same time, she has shown she’s tough, and a quick healer, so we’ll see.”
During the first stretch without Clark, the Fever went 3-2. Since coming back, Clark has averaged 17.8 points across five games, but also has been struggling with her long range shooting, being 1-for-23 from 3-pointers over the last three games.
see also
DeWanna Bonner sends pointed message after being waived by the Indiana Fever
Clark opened up about her injuries early this month
Upon her return to the court, Clark opened up about her time away, admitting that, as she had never missed a match in her college career or in her rookie season, she was in a new position.
“So it’s a lot of learning for sure. I think just, you know, going forward, trying to be proactive as I can and, you know, not let anything pop up,” she said at the time. “And even if I feel great, like still going in and getting treatment is really important. I think that’s the best thing that I can do.”
She admitted that she had tried “a lot of different things” during recovery, but that “everybody is a bit different” when it comes to that. She admitted that the July season was hectic, and that she was trying to do everything “to stay healthy.”
