Caitlin Clark hopeful to return Wednesday as Fever lose Justine Pissott to Aces
Clark said she’s “feeling great” and hopes to return Wednesday against the Sparks, while the Fever declined to match Las Vegas’ offer sheet for rookie Justine Pissott. Plus, other notes.
Caitlin Clark planned to practice Tuesday, and if all goes well, she expects to return Wednesday when the Indiana Fever visit the Los Angeles Sparks at crypto.com Arena.
“Very hopeful for tomorrow,” Clark told reporters before practice.
Clark hasn’t played in two weeks due to what the team has listed as a back injury. However, because of the Fever having rare downtime, she only missed two games during that stretch; both Fever wins.
The team is 12-8 and on a trip out west for four games over 11 days. After beating the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday, which I recapped in a video here, the team made the short flight over to LA.
This rare downtime is appreciated during their 44-game schedule. Having a week between games, primarily because of the Commissioner’s Cup final, allowed for the team to rest and reset. They enjoyed a few off days, a couple intense practices, and other lighter days to keep their skills sharp.
For Clark, she appreciated the time to get healthy. “It feels kind of weird, honestly,” she said of their schedule.
“I thought, obviously, everybody came out and played really well versus Vegas. And this is a long trip for us, 11 days. You have to keep building and finding ways to win. But even for myself, obviously having missed the two games, it feels even longer. I’ve had this really long break, but at the same time, get your body right and then your mind right and get back into it.”
Before the injury, Clark was hitting her stride. She averaged 21.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game in June — leading her to being named Eastern Conference Player of the Month for the second time in her career.
A’ja Wilson won out west, and neither were available for Sunday’s featured game on ESPN.
