Caitlin Clark is listed as “probable” on the injury report that was published by the WNBA on Thursday, May 21 at 5 p.m. ET.
The superstar guard was ruled out of the Indiana Fever’s game on Wednesday against the Portland Fire less than two hours before tip-off. Indiana coach Stephanie White explained that Clark woke up with “stiffness and soreness” in her back.
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“For us, it’s not the time to take a chance. We just really want to be cautious,” White said. “She’s healthy, we’re not managing anything. This is just a back issue that we want to make sure we give the time to be ready.”
The Fever were able to get a comfortable win over the Fire without Clark, taking a 90-73 victory behind Aliyah Boston’s performance of 24 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Kelsey Mitchell added 21 points and Lexie Hull scored 16 on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting from 3-point land.
Indiana is scheduled to play the Golden State Valkyries on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
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The Fever’s reporting of Clark’s status on Wednesday raised some questions around the WNBA. The league requires teams to submit injury reports the day before a game by 5 p.m. in the time zone of the contest’s location. From then, teams are supposed to immediately inform the league with availability changes in the case that new injuries or illnesses arise. Clark was not listed on the injury report on Tuesday.
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When asked if she expects the Fever to be fined for failing to provide a prompt update on Clark’s status, White told reporters “no, no.”
“Not everybody that doesn’t practice or gets a pro day is on the injury report. That happens all the time,” White said. “She wasn’t listed on the injury report earlier because we expected her to play.”
After winning Rookie of the Year in 2024, Clark battled nagging injuries to her left quad, both groins and left ankle last season. In an effort to preserve Clark this year, White talked often about playing her off-the-ball more during the preseason.
Through four games this season, Clark is averaging 24.3 points and 9.1 assists per game, ranking fifth in the league in scoring and first in passing. She’s also shooting a perfect 23-of-23 from the free throw line.
Clark is slated to be the grand marshal of the Indy 500 on Sunday.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Caitlin Clark is ‘probable’ on latest WNBA injury report while dealing with back issue
