Caitlin Clark probable (back) for Fever's game against Golden State

Atlanta DreamChicago SkyConnecticut SunDallas WingsGolden State ValkyriesIndiana FeverLas Vegas AcesLos Angeles SparksMinnesota LynxNew York LibertyPhoenix MercuryPortland FireSeattle StormToronto TempoWashington MysticsScores & ScheduleStandingsPodcastsNewsletterNo Offseason NewsletterLatest Fever guard Caitlin Clark was ruled out of Wednesday night's game 10 minutes before fans started filing into Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Andy Lyons / Getty Images Share article1Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark was listed as probable with a back injury on the team’s injury report a day before Friday’s home contest against the Golden State Valkyries. The injury update came roughly 24 hours after Clark was ruled out of Wednesday’s home game against the Portland Fire because “her back is sore,” Fever coach Stephanie White said after Indiana cruised to a 90-73 victory. The third-year pro also left the season-opener for treatment on her back, which she said gets “out of line” quickly. Though the Fever aren’t expressing long-term concern about Clark’s availability so early in the season, her first missed game of the season was heavily scrutinized by fans and media after her injury-plagued 2025 campaign. Clark, a two-time All-Star, averaged 24.3 points, nine assists and five rebounds in her first four games this season before being sidelined Wednesday. Last year, she only appeared in 13 games due to various lower-body injuries. White said before this season started that the Fever would closely monitor Clark’s workload. However, she dismissed the notion that her absence Wednesday was part of a season-long management plan. “Absolutely not,” White said. “She’s healthy. We’re not managing anything. This is just a back issue that we want to make sure we gave the time to be ready.” Clark played a season-low 24 minutes in the Fever’s home win over the Seattle Storm on Sunday. She was at practice Tuesday but did not participate, White said. Instead of practicing, Clark received treatment on her back and went through workouts after practice, according to White, but she was not listed on the Fever’s injury report that day. White fielded several questions Wednesday about Clark’s back and the Fever’s seemingly lack of transparency leading up to her absence. White said she did not think the Fever would get fined for how they handled Clark’s injury news. All WNBA teams are required to submit an injury report by 5 p.m. local time the day before a game, per league rules. The league mandates that the report “must designate a participation status and identify a specific injury, illness, other medical condition, or other reason for any player whose participation in the game may be affected for any reason.” Teams can submit injury reports as soon as midnight ET on gamedays. Updates are then provided every 15 minutes leading up to tipoff. White said she learned Clark wasn’t playing at 5 p.m. ET Wednesday. The Fever’s X account announced Clark’s absence at 5:20 p.m. ET, 10 minutes before fans were permitted to enter Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The WNBA’s official injury report was updated to account for Clark’s injury at 5:30 p.m. ET. “Just woke up with some stiffness and some soreness,” White said of Clark. “We like to see, again, like I always say, ‘How do you respond after a workout?’ For us, it’s not the time to take a chance. We just really want to be cautious.” White was asked why Clark didn’t appear on the injury report Tuesday or earlier on Wednesday’s report, despite receiving treatment on her back Tuesday and waking up with discomfort Wednesday. “Well, not everybody that doesn’t practice or gets a (rest day) is on the injury report. So, that happens all the time,” White said. “And she wasn’t listed on the injury report earlier because we expected her to play.” White has repeatedly deferred medical questions to the Fever training staff, although they cannot discuss injuries publicly. If the WNBA believes the Fever skirted the injury report rules regarding Clark’s back, there is precedent for a league fine. The Aces were fined an undisclosed amount during the 2024 season for not being forthcoming about an ankle injury A’ja Wilson suffered ahead of a game against the New York Liberty. Wilson was not listed on the day-before-the-game injury report, but she came to the arena the next day in a walking boot and was ruled out hours before tipoff. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms