Clark out vs. Liberty; All-Star status uncertain

NEW YORK -- Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark was ruled out for Wednesday night's game against the New York Liberty in Brooklyn after suffering a right groin injury in the final minute of Tuesday's 85-77 win over the Connecticut Sun.

The status of Clark, who has dealt with injury issues for much of the season, for All-Star festivities this weekend in Indianapolis remains uncertain. She was named a participant in Friday's 3-point contest earlier Tuesday and was previously announced as a starter and captain for Saturday's All-Star Game.

Fever coach Stephanie White told reporters after Tuesday's game that Clark "felt a little something in her groin." She underwent imaging Wednesday to determine the extent of the injury.

White did not comment specifically on the results, deferring to the expertise of the athletic training staff, but said, "I consider it good news, just because for me, it's anything that we're talking about still day-to-day is always good news for me, but that's a layman's viewpoint."

White said she has not been involved in discussions around Clark's status for All-Star weekend. Indianapolis is hosting the event for the first time in franchise history.

"Caitlin and her team will make decisions when it comes to All-Star," White said. "For me, it's a big deal for us to have All-Star in Indianapolis, and of course, with Caitlin being a focal point of all of that. As the coach of the Indiana Fever, it's not a bigger deal than our long-term season, but it's also part of the fun. Those are conversations that Caitlin will have with her group. I probably won't be a part of those, but we're going to support her no matter what."

Clark was in just her fourth game back from a left groin injury when, with about 40 seconds left in Tuesday's game, she clutched the inside of her right thigh after completing a bounce pass to Kelsey Mitchell for the score.

Clark walked over and banged her head against a stanchion in apparent frustration. She was visibly emotional as she went to the Fever bench and placed a towel over her head.

"It's very frustrating," White said. "You feel like you're trying to do everything that you can to put yourself in position to get past it or to move forward. And when there's a setback, it's mentally and emotionally tough. And so, of course, she was upset."

The guard was initially listed on Indiana's injury report as questionable before being downgraded to out around 5 p.m.

Before this season, Clark had never missed a game in her college or pro career. Wednesday's contest will mark the 10th regular-season game she has missed (11th including the Commissioner's Cup final) with ailments so far this summer. Dating back to the preseason, when she also missed an exhibition game before playing the next day at Iowa, she has dealt with two injuries to her left quad as well as the aforementioned one to her left groin.

Clark has not played more than five consecutive games this season, with two separate stints of two-week absences.

"I think that we've approached it that way from a slow pace from the beginning," White said about prioritizing Clark's long-term health. "The big picture is the most important: for her health and wellness, long-term, and for our team. We've been very slow in making sure that every time she comes back, that she's ready. So we'll continue to approach it like that. Long-term is the most important."

White pointed to the physicality that Clark frequently experiences with the ball in her hands as something that "causes you to load differently, it causes you to explode differently, it causes you to accelerate and decelerate differently. It's not the free-flowing movement that we want to see. ... I think all of those things at times, while it might not be one blow or another, over time can contribute to [injury]."

Indiana is 8-5 in the regular season with Clark this season and 4-5 without her. The 2024 first-team all-WNBA selection and former No. 1 pick is averaging 16.5 points, 8.8 assists and 5.0 rebounds this summer.

"I think the biggest thing is just try to keep her in good spirits," White said. "Had a lot of setbacks with all these little injuries and we just have to take it one day at a time. It's frustrating for her, I'm sure, especially and I think for us as a staff and as a team, just trying to keep her encouraged and try to keep her to stay the course."