The Indiana Fever face Los Angeles Sparks on Friday, Aug. 29, in a game with major postseason implications. The Fever, sitting in sixth place, are two games ahead of the ninth-place Sparks in the crowded bottom half of the WNBA playoff race. But the biggest question remains whether the Fever will have their star Caitlin Clark available.
Clark, who was injured late in the Fever’s win over the Connecticut Sun on July 15, does not have an official return timeline. She also suffered a bone bruise on her left ankle during a workout on Aug. 7. The Indianapolis Star reported that Clark’s ankle issue did not interfere with her groin rehab, and the Fever released a statement on Wednesday noting that “there was no timeline or projected return to play,” leaving her status uncertain.
Following Friday’s contest, the Fever continue their three-game West Coast trip on Sunday with another critical matchup against the Golden State Valkyries. In total, the Fever will have just five games remaining before the regular season ends on Sept. 11. It remains unclear if Clark will be cleared to return before that date.
Will Caitlin Clark be available against LA Sparks?
Fever star Caitlin Clark will miss her 17th consecutive game with a right groin injury on Friday when her team takes on the Sparks, meaning Indiana will once again be without their leader in a pivotal stretch of the season.
Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever.
After a historic Rookie of the Year campaign, Clark’s sophomore season has been derailed by injuries. She has been limited to 13 appearances, missing three weeks with a left quad strain, two weeks with a left groin injury, and now an extended stretch with a right groin issue. Along the way, she missed the Commissioner’s Cup championship and the All-Star weekend in her adopted home city of Indianapolis.
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When is her return expected?
Fever head coach Stephanie White said earlier this month that “the hope” is for Clark to return before the end of the regular season. Clark has not yet rejoined full practices but has started participating in non-contact drills during shootarounds. Earlier this week, White detailed what she needs to see before clearing Clark for game action.
“I want to see her in practice, live in practice,” White said. “I want to see her continue to work, not just to build endurance, but to be able to handle contact across 94 feet as it’s going to be in a game. She has to be able to do that and sustain it from an endurance standpoint, and that’s going to take multiple practices to make sure there’s no regression. As most of us know, when we get fatigued, we look different. [We need to see] how she plays through fatigue.”
Before her injury, Clark was showing flashes of brilliance but also inconsistency. She went 7-for-49 from 3-point range across her last seven appearances and failed to make a 3-pointer in three separate games. For the season, she is shooting 36.7% from the field, including 27.9% from deep. On the road, she is just 2-for-35 from downtown. Still, she is averaging 16.5 points, five rebounds, and 8.8 assists per game — ranking second in the WNBA in assists.
Who else is sidelined?
The Fever’s injury woes extend beyond Clark. Indiana is also without Sydney Colson (torn ACL), Aari McDonald (broken foot), and Sophie Cunningham (torn MCL), all of whom are out for the remainder of the season.
