Caitlin Clark Likely Out For Rematch vs. Liberty
It appears that the Caitlin Clark effect once again won't be felt at the New York Liberty game in Brooklyn this week.
Per ESPN's Alexa Phillippou, Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White doesn't expect Clark to be available when her squad tips off the second half of the season against the Liberty on Tuesday night at Barclays Center (8 p.m. ET, ESPN). Clark, the face of the WNBA, continues to deal with a groin injury, one of several ailments that has interrupted her sophomore season.
"I don't expect her to be available on Tuesday," White said in Phillippou's report. "We're just going to continue to take it one day at a time and let her get her evaluations early this week."
Despite the continued rehab, White did say that Clark was "progressing" as she and the Fever continue to press forward.
Clark will sit for the second straight game, as she also missed a Thursday matchup against the Liberty. She was forced to leave last Tuesday's win over Connecticut early with the groin issue and could only watch as the Liberty downed Indiana by a 98-77 final the day after. The injury also kept Clark out of last weekend's All-Star festivities in Indianapolis, which saw her captain and curate one of the two teams competing after earning the most fan votes.
Clark previously endured a quad injury against the Liberty, one sustained during a narrow 90-88 loss on May 24 in Indianapolis. She returned in time for a rematch on June 14, which saw her put up 32 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds in a 102-88 win, one that helped Indiana beat New York for the Eastern Conference's spot in the Commissioner's Cup in-season championship. The Fever (12-11) would take down Minnesota sans Clark at Target Center, one of several victories it has earned with Clark sidelined.
"You never want to see a player get injured, a player like Caitlin, coming back, has had a few injuries this year," Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello said prior to last Wednesday's game. "She's a great player. It would've been great for our crowd to see her, hopefully they get to see her post-All-Star ... As for All-Star, I'm excited to get to know her a little bit."
Geoff Magliocchetti is a veteran sportswriter who contributes to a variety of sites on the "On SI" network. In addition to the Yankees/Mets, Geoff also covers the New York Knicks, New York Liberty, and New York Giants and has previously written about the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Staten Island Yankees, and NASCAR.