Fever coach reveals Caitlin Clark concern level after injury scare originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Caitlin Clark can’t catch a break.
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Or can she?
Fans feared the worst when Clark landed awkwardly following a 3-point attempt in Thursday’s preseason game between the Indiana Fever and the Dallas Wings. The showdown — billed as a meeting of the WNBA’s past four no.1 overall draft picks — could well have been a nightmare for Clark and the Fever when the superstar guard came up limping after the Wings’ Alanna Smith fouled her on the shot attempt.
MORE: Caitlin Clark’s early dominance overshadowed by injury scare in Fever loss
Smith, the WNBA’s reigning co-Defensive Player of the Year, was assessed a Flagrant 1 on the play. Clark shot three free throws and made two of them before she sat the rest of the game.
Clark, who scored a game-high 21 points in 16 minutes, tried to play down the limp as she told reporters postgame that she felt “good.”
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“Just landed on my kneecap really hard,” Clark said after the Fever’s 95-80 loss.
Fever head coach Stephanie White revealed postgame that Clark was not going to play deep into the third quarter, which is when the incident occurred. Opting to play it safe a week before the 2026 regular season starts, White quickly removed Clark following the injury scare.
“We had planned for her to come out around that time anyway,” White said. “It was just extra precaution, I think, getting her out in that moment, but the plan was for her to start the third quarter then get her out quickly.”
Fortunately for the Fever, White said she knew Clark would be able to “shake that one off” following a stretch of injuries that cost her all but 13 games in 2025.
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“You can kind of see in her face, sometimes,” White said. “It was like, ‘Alright, she took one.'”
The Fever have one final preseason game on Saturday, against the Nigeria national team. While White’s concern level is minimal, Clark — who already has played in two preseason games — may be rested in Indiana’s final tuneup for the long season ahead.
