Tonight, the Indiana Fever will host the Phoenix Mercury at 8 p.m. ET at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The game will be broadcast nationally on USA Network.
Fever superstar Caitlin Clark is currently on the injury report, so the big question is: will she suit up against the Mercury or will she sit out?
Why Is Caitlin Clark On the Injury Report, and Will She Play Today?
Clark is listed as probable with a back injury, so all signs point to her playing tonight. The Fever listing Clark as probable with the back issue is nothing new, and she has ultimately suited up in 15 of their 16 games this season.
The lone game she missed was on May 20 against the Portland Fire, and it was also due to back soreness. The Fever received a warning from the WNBA since Clark was ruled out hours before tipoff despite not being included on the team’s injury report. To comply with league rules, Fever head coach Stephanie White revealed that Clark will likely be a fixture on the injury report going forward given her consistent back soreness and stiffness.
“Just to make sure that there’s clarity and no issues with league policy, I think that we will [list Clark as probable],” White said at the time. “You can expect to see it probable going forward.”
Clark added: “At this point, maybe I’ll need to be listed as soreness on every injury report.”
That is essentially what Indiana has opted to do, so don’t panic when you see Clark’s name on the injury report. Barring a last-minute change, the superstar is expected to play through the back soreness.
While it’s unclear when Clark initially suffered this back injury, she has been managing it since the Fever’s season-opener against the Dallas Wings. She briefly exited that game to head to the locker room and she returned with a wrap around her back. She later explained that she had to have her “back adjusted.” At the time, White told reporters that managing Clark’s back injury will be an “ongoing thing.”
Despite her lingering back issues, Clark has been one of the best players in the WNBA this season, averaging 21.1 points, 8.1 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.5 3-pointers per game, while shooting 42.3% from the field, 33.3% from 3-point range, and 84.6% from the free-throw line.
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Clark is still one of the WNBA’s most popular players, although the WNBA’s first All-Star voting returns featured a surprise, as Clark has just the fifth-most votes (253,602). She currently trails A’ja Wilson (308,249), Paige Bueckers (298,027), Aliyah Boston (282,186), and Breanna Stewart (255,879). There’s still plenty of time for Clark to make up the difference, and the Swifties recently got involved and threw their support behind her.
The Fever are currently 9-7, which is the third-best record in the Eastern Conference behind only the Atlanta Dream (11-4) and New York Liberty (11-6). The Mercury are 5-12, which is the second-worst record in the Western Conference, so this is an opportunity for the Fever to get back on track after dropping back-to-back games to Angel Reese and the Dream.
Prior to that two-game losing skid, Indiana had won four straight games. Many Fever fans have grown frustrated with head coach Stephanie White and called for a coaching change, but it remains to be seen if Indiana will shake things up anytime soon.
