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Caitlin Clark: Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark will sit out Saturday's home matchup against the Los Angeles Sparks due to a back injury.
Head coach Stephanie White made the announcement during Friday's practice session.
It will be the second time this season Clark has missed a game because of the same issue.
Clark first exited Wednesday's loss to the Phoenix Mercury in the third quarter after aggravating her back.
The two-time All-Star has been managing the problem throughout the current season.
She has appeared on Indiana's injury report in 13 consecutive games, consistently listed as probable before each contest.
White said she could not yet estimate how long Clark would remain sidelined. The Fever are set to host the Sparks on Saturday before enjoying a full week off.
Their next scheduled game after that is a road trip to face the Las Vegas Aces on July 5.
With Clark out, veteran guard Tyasha Harris and rookie Raven Johnson are expected to step into point guard duties.
Starting shooting guard Kelsey Mitchell also said she would take on additional ballhandling and playmaking responsibilities during Clark's absence.
WNBA Upgrades Thomas Incident to Flagrant 2, Issues One-Game Suspension
Wednesday's game also drew scrutiny for a physical exchange between Clark and Mercury veteran Alyssa Thomas.
Clark lost her balance while driving to the basket and fell to the floor.
Thomas dove in an attempt to retrieve the ball but appeared to press a closed right fist against Clark's neck in the process. The play was initially not called by officials.
The WNBA reviewed the incident on Thursday and upgraded the call to a flagrant 2 penalty.
The league issued a one-game suspension to Thomas for making contact with her fist to Clark's throat area. It marks the first suspension of Thomas' 13-year professional career.
She will serve it when the Mercury travel to face the Toronto Tempo on Saturday.
White, who previously coached Thomas with the Connecticut Sun, publicly called the action "crazy" and "dangerous" after the game.
She also flagged a separate second-quarter play in which Mercury forward Valériane Ayayi fouled Clark on a 3-point attempt without giving her adequate space to land safely.
Clark took a hard fall on that play and reached for her back as she got up, though it remains unclear whether the incident contributed to her current injury.
Clark Has Battled Back Issues All Season
Clark first missed a game this season on May 20 — a 90-73 Fever home win over the Portland Fire — due to back soreness.
She has been wearing a heating pad on her back while seated on the bench, something she did not do in her first two seasons.
Clark said earlier this year that she cannot pinpoint exactly when her back issues began, describing it as something she has been learning to manage over the past year.
Despite the ongoing concern, she described her condition as nothing alarming at this stage of the season.
Through 17 games this year, Clark is averaging 21.2 points, 8.2 assists and 4.0 rebounds per contest.
That already surpasses the 13 games she appeared in throughout the entire 2025 season, when multiple soft-tissue injuries derailed her campaign.
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