Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever return from a four-day break Friday when they host the Connecticut Sun at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Indiana is coming off one of its most impressive wins of the season, beating the Chicago Sky 113-90 behind 37 points and 10 assists from Clark, and will look to make it two consecutive victories.
The Fever enter the matchup at 25-14 and fifth in the WNBA standings, while Connecticut is 10-28 and 14th and has already been eliminated from playoff contention. Friday also represents Indiana’s final game before the WNBA pauses for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup, which runs Sept. 4-13.
The Fever are heavy favorites against a Sun team that has lost two straight and is coming off an 89-64 defeat to the Golden State Valkyries. One Connecticut player, meanwhile, will not be available against Indiana.
David Butler II-Imagn Images
On Thursday, the Sun temporarily suspended Kennedy Burke’s contract so she can leave the team and represent Turkey at the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup. Burke, who became a Turkish citizen earlier this year, helped Turkey qualify for the tournament and averaged 16.4 points and 8.2 rebounds during the qualifying tournament.
She will miss Connecticut’s final two games before the league’s World Cup break.
Temporary contract suspensions are used when WNBA players leave their teams for commitments outside the league, including national-team duty. The arrangement allows the player to step away from her WNBA contract for the specified period before returning to the team. Similar suspensions have already been used this month for players leaving their WNBA teams to join their national teams ahead of the World Cup.
Burke has been an important part of Connecticut’s rotation this season, averaging 8.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 37 games. Her absence adds to a depleted Sun roster that is already dealing with several players unavailable because of injuries, including veteran center Brittney Griner.
Indiana has won both meetings with Connecticut this season, including a 123-88 victory on July 22. Friday’s matchup tips at 7:30 p.m. ET on ION, with the Fever looking to close the pre-World Cup portion of their schedule on another winning note.
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