Stephanie White Contradicts on Caitlin Clark Injury Management, Fever Top Fire

The Indiana Fever were able to take down the Portland Fire without Caitlin Clark.

Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White talks with Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) on Saturday, May 2, 2026, during the first half of a preseason game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. | Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Indiana Fever fans were caught off guard when it was announced just over 90 minutes before tip-off that Caitlin Clark would be held out of the team's 90-73 win over the Portland Fire.

That's because Clark had not appeared on the injury report prior, before being a late scratch with a back issue.

Of course, Clark has been managing her back since the season opener against the Dallas Wings.

"Just getting my back adjusted. It gets out of line pretty quickly, so just that. Just getting my back in place a little bit. But other than that, I feel great," Clark said in response to a question from Indiana Fever On SI about why she was making trips to the locker room during that game.

So, it makes sense that the team would take a cautious approach with Clark, as coach Stephanie White said was the case after Clark woke up with back stiffness Wednesday.

But White's answer to another question about Clark's status was more curious.

When asked pregame if keeping Clark out against Portland was part of managing her for the season, White had this to say:

"No, absolutely not. She's healthy. We're not managing anything. This is just a back issue that we want to make sure that we give the time to be ready."

Perhaps White meant this wasn't preplanned and didn't want to delve into the load management interpretation and the negative connotations that come with that, however, if Clark is indeed healthy overall and didn't play in order to keep the back issue from worsening—that is by definition managing her injury, making White's statement contradictory.

Fever Get Win Behind Aliyah Boston

May 20, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Fever center-forward Aliyah Boston (7) dribbles the ball while Portland Fire forward Emily Engstler (21) defends in the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The good news for the Fever is that Clark wasn't needed to best the Fire, thanks in large part to Clark's running mate Aliyah Boston. Boston, who has been managing an injury herself, dominated Portland. Boston was 8-11 from the field and finished with 24 points and 8 rebounds. She also notably knocked down two three-point shots, an area of her game she has expanded this season.

She got scoring support from the team's other All-Star, Kelsey Mitchell, who poured in 21 points. While Lexie Hull was a perfect 4-4 for 16 points. Clark's replacement at point guard, Tyasha Harris, did not fare as well, going 0-6 with 0 points. Harris did dish out 7 assists with no turnovers, helping the offense to find flow.

Indiana put forth a strong defensive effort, stifling the new expansion team and holding the Fire to only 73 points.

They'll look to keep their winning streak going on Friday versus the Golden State Valkyries. Fortunately, all indications are Clark is mostly dealing with soreness and should manage to be back in the lineup as soon as that next game.