The Indiana Fever lost their season opener to the Dallas Wings, but that isn’t what worries fans. Caitlin Clark made two unexpected trips to the locker room during the game.
Given the injury nightmare she endured last season, the sight of her heading off the court had the WNBA world holding its breath immediately. But the good news came quickly that Clark has been cleared of any significant injuries.
What Is Caitlin Clark’s Injury Status?
Clark is not on the injury report and is fully cleared to play tonight. The back issue that sent her to the locker room twice on Saturday was minor, and Clark addressed it directly in her postgame interview after the Wings game, keeping the explanation as straightforward as it gets.
“It gets out of line pretty quickly. So just that, just getting my back put back in place a little bit. But other than that, feel great,” Clark said.
Head coach Stephanie White elaborated on the situation after the game, making clear that the back issue is something Clark has been managing and that her staff knows how to address it quickly. “She has adjusted her body. When we’re all really young, we don’t learn proper mechanics, and then it doesn’t get exposed until something happens,” White said.
She also added that brief training-room visits could continue as the season progresses, just to prevent serious injuries.
Clark finished the opener with 20 points, five rebounds, and seven assists in 31 minutes while shooting 38.9 percent from the field. She also quietly reached 1,000 career WNBA points during the game, a feat that not many can boast.
Kelsey Mitchell was the star of the night, scoring 30 points, shooting 11 from 22 attempts. Aliyah Boston also had a decent contribution of 23 points, hitting nine of her 14 attempts on the night.
The Fever had a few days off between Saturday and tonight, which should have given her more than enough time to settle back in.
Tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Sparks tips off at 10:30 p.m. ET from Crypto.com Arena and will be broadcast on the USA Network and Spectrum Sports Network.
The Fever are looking to bounce back from the opening night loss to Dallas, and Clark’s availability at full strength makes the trip to Los Angeles considerably more manageable.
Given how much she went through to get back to this point, a minor back adjustment during a regular-season game is not the kind of thing anyone inside the Indiana organization is losing sleep over.
