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Alexa Philippou
BOSTON – Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark left Tuesday night time’s 85-77 win over the Connecticut Sun in Boston’s TD Backyard with an obvious groin harm that occurred within the remaining minute.
Indiana coach Stephanie White confirmed that Clark “felt a bit of one thing in her groin,” and that she’s going to get evaluated “and see what occurs from there.”
After finishing a bounce go to teammate Kelsey Mitchell for a layup with about 40 seconds remaining, Clark held the within of her proper thigh earlier than strolling over and banging her head towards the stanchion in obvious frustration.
Clark was visibly emotional as she went to the Fever bench, putting a towel over her head.
Earlier than this season, Clark had by no means missed a recreation in her collegiate or professional profession. However her second WNBA season has been riddled with accidents, and he or she has missed 9 regular-season video games this summer time, 10 together with the Commissioner’s Cup remaining.
Clark first sat out a preseason recreation because of quad tightness, although she performed the next day in an exhibition at Iowa. She was later sidelined 5 video games throughout Might and June with a left quad pressure — separate from the preliminary situation — after which was sidelined for an additional two-week stretch throughout late June and early July with a groin harm on her left aspect.
Clark made her return from the groin harm lower than every week in the past in a loss to the Golden State Valkyries.
Indiana improved Tuesday to 8-5 with Clark this season after going 4-5 with out her. She completed with 14 factors, 8 rebounds and seven assists towards the Solar and is averaging 16.5 factors, 8.8 assists and 5.0 rebounds per recreation this season.
The Fever full the second leg of a back-to-back on Wednesday, once they face the defending champion New York Liberty in Brooklyn. Clark, a 2025 All-Star starter and captain, was additionally named a participant in Friday’s 3-point contest earlier Tuesday.
“I feel we simply take it one step at a time,” White mentioned. “We’ll get some meals and get on the airplane and begin speaking about New York. She’s being evaluated, we’ll see the place we’re with that, and definitely we’ll have one other analysis, in all probability, and dialog within the morning, see the place we’re. However this group has performed with out her. Not less than we have expertise in that.
“We all know that we’ve a troublesome opponent in New York. We all know that it should be a problem it doesn’t matter what and we have simply acquired to get locked in and able to compete.”