Indiana Fever take on the defending champions New York Liberty tonight (July 22, 7 p.m. CT) at Barclays Center in Brooklyn to continue their WNBA campaign. However, guard Caitlin Clark is out for the game, as she is still recovering from a groin injury.
“I think she’s progressing, and I think that we are addressing everything that needs to be addressed,” said Fever head coach Stephanie White (via Scott Agness on X). “She’s going to see some doctors, and some more tests run early in the week. I don’t expect her to be available on Tuesday. We’re just going to continue to take it one day at a time,” she added.
Clark, who won 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year, appeared to injure her left groin on July 15 during the last quarter of the match against the Connecticut Sun. It’s the latest physical issue suffered by the star, who has missed 11 matches of her sophomore season with the Fever due to four separate muscle injuries.
First, Clark missed the Fever’s preseason opener with a left quad tightness, before suffering quad strain on May 24 against the Liberty, missing five games. Then, shortly after returning, she suffered a left groin injury which made her miss another five games. She only played four games before getting injured again.
Caitlin Clark reacts after being taken out of the match vs Connecticut (Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)
The injury left her out of what would have been her second WNBA All-Star game, in which she was voted captain alongside Napheesa Collier. She was also set to participate in the three-point shooting contest, but instead was sidelined during the weekend.
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Clark says the injuries have been ‘frustrating’
During the All-Star weekend, which took place in Indiana, Clark opened up about the hardship of being injured for the first time in her career. “When the injury happened, it was pretty frustrating, considering, I knew what the coming days were gonna hold for myself,” Clark said Saturday, via Chloe Peterson of IndyStar.
“But I feel like dealing with that, and then also just like trying to look at it in the most positive manner that I can. … I think it all comes back to having a good perspective on everything,” she added.
Indiana Fever’s schedule
Currently, the Indiana Fever are currently 12-11 in the WNBA regular season, and third in the Eastern Conference. After facing the New York Liberty tonight, they’ll have a tight schedule:
- vs Las Vegas Aces, July 24th
- vs Chicago Sky, July 27th
- vs Phoenix Mercury, July 30th
- vs Dallas Wings, August 1st
