While the Indiana Fever got Aliyah Boston back after a one-game absence, they lost Caitlin Clark to injury prior to their showdown with the Portland Fire.
Indiana didn't have any injuries to report heading into their meeting with Portland, which was a promising development after Boston suffered an injury against the Washington Mystics and missed the team's following game against the Seattle Storm.
Unfortunately, Clark was ruled out just a few hours before the Fire game, with the Fever citing a back injury as the reason for her late scratch.
While it's definitely a concerning development, especially since Indiana didn't report the injury earlier, head coach Stephanie White clarified to reporters that Clark's injury is not serious and that they only sidelined the All-Star playmaker as a precautionary measure.
Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
White explained that Clark had stiffness in her back when she woke up on Tuesday, causing her to miss practice as she received treatment instead. Nonetheless, the Fever coach doesn't expect the injury to be a long-term issue.
"She's healthy. We're not managing anything," White told reporters pregame, per Alexa Philippou of ESPN. "This is just a back issue that we want to make sure we give the time to be ready."
Based on White's statement, it looks like Clark will only miss one game and will be available for the Fever when they play the Golden State Valkyries on Friday.
Clark has averaged 24.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 9.0 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.0 block in four games played so far this 2026 season. So, her absence is definitely a huge blow to an Indiana team looking to get above .500 after a 2-2 start.
