Clark leaves with groin injury late in Fever win

BOSTON -- Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark left Tuesday night's 85-77 win over the Connecticut Sun at TD Garden with an apparent groin injury that occurred in the final minute.

Indiana coach Stephanie White confirmed Clark "felt a little something in her groin" and that she will get evaluated "and see what happens from there."

After completing a bounce pass to teammate Kelsey Mitchell for a layup with about 40 seconds remaining, Clark held the inside of her right thigh before walking over and banging her head against the stanchion in apparent frustration.

Clark was visibly emotional as she went to the Fever bench, placing a towel over her head.

Before this season, Clark had never missed a game in her collegiate or pro career. But her second WNBA season has been riddled with injuries. She has missed nine regular-season games (10 including the Commissioner's Cup final) this summer.

Clark first sat out a preseason game due to quad tightness, though she played the following day in an exhibition at the University of Iowa, her alma mater. She was later sidelined five games across May and June with a left quad strain -- separate from the initial issue -- then was out for another two-week stretch from late June to early July with a groin injury on her left side.

Clark made her return from the groin injury less than a week ago in a loss to the visiting Golden State Valkyries.

Asked postgame about the physical play Clark faces on a nightly basis, White responded that "there's a level of physicality that they're able to play with against her."

"I knew it as an opponent, and I see it as her coach," White said. "I'm not exactly sure why, but it just is what it is, and we've got to help her learn to adjust and use it against them in certain ways. We've got to find some ways to make it a little bit easier for her. But the level of physicality overall in our league has been at a different level than it's been for a long time."

Indiana improved Tuesday to 8-5 with Clark this season after going 4-5 without her. She finished with 14 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists against the Sun. Clark is averaging 16.5 points, 8.8 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game this season.

The 12-10 Fever -- who improved to two games above .500 for the first time this season -- will complete the second leg of a back-to-back on Wednesday, when they face the defending champion New York Liberty in Brooklyn.

Clark, a 2025 All-Star Game captain and starter, also was named a participant in Friday's 3-point contest earlier Tuesday.

"I think we just take it one step at a time," White said. "We'll get some food and get on the plane and start talking about New York. She's being evaluated; we'll see where we are with that. And certainly, we'll have another evaluation, probably, and conversation in the morning, see where we are. But this group has played without her. At least we've got experience in that.

"We know that we have a tough opponent in New York. We know that it's going to be a challenge, no matter what, and we've just got to get locked in and ready to compete."