Caitlin Clark exits early with back issue as Fever fall to Mercury

Caitlin Clark's night ended early Wednesday as the Fever guard exited before the fourth quarter of Indiana's game against the Phoenix Mercury.

The Fever announced Clark was ruled out for the remainder of the game with a back issue.

It is unclear when Clark first began experiencing back discomfort, but she appeared to tweak it after a second-quarter foul. She left the court with just over five minutes remaining in the third quarter and did not return, the Indianapolis Star reported.

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Clark eventually made her way to the locker room. With the Fever star sidelined, the Mercury managed to rally and narrowly got past Indiana 111-109. The victory was just Phoenix's sixth of the season.

Kelsey Mitchell finished with 30 points to lead the Fever, but Kahleah Copper's 28-point performance helped lift the Mercury to the win.

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The physical style of play Clark has faced has been a talking point since her WNBA debut in 2024. That conversation resurfaced in the second quarter when she was fouled on a drive to the basket and lost control of the ball.

Replay videos appeared to show Thomas' knee making contact near Clark's groin as the Fever guard fell to the floor, followed by what looked like contact between Thomas' fist and Clark's throat. No foul was called on the play.

The back issue is not new. Clark has landed on Indiana's injury report multiple times this season because of it. The Fever continue their homestand Saturday against the Los Angeles Sparks.

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