'Progressing' Clark likely out for Fever Tuesday

Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark is unlikely to play in Tuesday's contest vs. the New York Liberty and she will undergo additional testing after suffering a right groin injury last week, coach Stephanie White said Sunday.

After consulting with doctors early this week, Clark and the team should have "hopefully more of a clear line of what [the path forward] looks like," White told reporters.

"I think she's progressing," White said. "I think that we're continuing to address everything that needs to be addressed ... I don't expect her to be available on Tuesday, so we're just going to continue to take it one day at a time and let her get her evaluations early this week."

Clark has missed 10 regular-season games (11 contests overall, including the Commissioner's Cup final) because of various soft tissue injuries, including one to her left quad and another to her left groin. She returned to action for less than a week when she hurt her right groin in the closing seconds of the Fever's win this past Tuesday against the Connecticut Sun in Boston.

Clark, the 2024 No. 1 pick and rookie of the year, had to pull out of this weekend's 3-point contest and All-Star Game in Indianapolis, where she was tabbed the captain of Team Clark because she received the most fan votes.

The 2024 All-WNBA first-team selection is averaging 16.5 points, 8.8 assists and 5.0 rebounds in a disrupted season during which she hasn't played more than five consecutive contests.

The Fever (12-11) have dealt with inconsistency this season with Clark's injury, DeWanna Bonner's midseason departure and other players coming in and out of the rotation. But White wants her players to improve their uneven play.

"For us, it's probably something we're going to continue to deal with. These soft tissue injuries sometimes nag until you can actually have time to really allow them to heal in the offseason," White said. "So, we'll just take it one day at a time and as they come, and this group will continue to progress together."