Indiana Fever standout Caitlin Clark exited Tuesday night’s 85-77 victory over the Connecticut Sun at TD Garden after suffering a groin injury in the game’s final minute.
Fever head coach Stephanie White confirmed that Clark "felt something in her groin" and added that she’ll be evaluated before the team determines the next steps.
The injury happened after Clark dished out a slick bounce pass to teammate Kelsey Mitchell for a layup with about 40 seconds on the clock. Right after, Clark clutched the inside of her right thigh and walked over to the stanchion, visibly frustrated, even banging her head against it.
As she headed to the bench, Clark was emotional, covering her head with a towel.
Until this season, Clark had never missed a single game in her college or professional career. But her second WNBA season has been riddled with setbacks. She’s now sat out nine regular-season games — ten including the Commissioner’s Cup Final — due to various injuries.
She initially missed a preseason game because of quad tightness, although she returned immediately to play in an exhibition at the University of Iowa, her alma mater. Later, she missed five more games between May and June due to a left quad strain — a separate issue from the first — and then sat out another two-week stretch from late June into early July with a left groin injury.
Clark had only just returned less than a week ago during a loss to the Golden State Valkyries.
When asked about the physicality Clark endures every night, Coach White didn’t mince words: "There’s a level of physicality that they’re able to play with against her."
“I saw it when I was coaching against her. I see it now as her coach,” White added. “Why it happens, I’m not sure — but it’s real. We’ve got to help her learn how to adjust to it and turn it into an advantage. We also need to find ways to ease the pressure on her. The physical intensity in our league has definitely stepped up more than we’ve seen in years.”
With Clark in the lineup, Indiana is now 8-5 this season, compared to 4-5 without her. In Tuesday’s win, Clark notched 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists. She's currently averaging 16.5 points, 8.8 assists, and 5.0 rebounds this season.
The 12-10 Fever, now two games above .500 for the first time this season, gear up for the second night of a back-to-back on Wednesday as they face the defending champion New York Liberty in Brooklyn.
Earlier on Tuesday, Clark, who’s been named a 2025 All-Star Game captain and starter, was also announced as a participant in Friday’s 3-Point Contest.
Coach White summed up the situation, saying, “We’ll take it one step at a time. We’ll grab some food, board the plane, and start thinking about New York. She’s being evaluated — we’ll see where she stands. We’ll probably have another checkup in the morning. But this team’s been through this before. We’ve played without her.”
“We know New York is a tough opponent. It’s going to be a challenge either way, and we’ve just got to lock in and come to battle.”