Fever pump the brakes on Caitlin Clark’s possible return originally appeared on The Sporting News
The Indiana Fever is in Phoenix to take on the red-hot Mercury in a Tuesday night matchup with significant WNBA playoff ramifications.
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For the Mercury, the game serves as a chance to inch closer to securing home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, which tip off Sept. 14. For the visiting Fever though, the focus remains on getting in — and worrying about the opponent later.
Entering Tuesday, the Fever sits seventh in the standings with a 21-19 record. There had been little indication that Indiana was getting set to welcome back superstar point guard Caitlin Clark — until she was seen shooting the ball and running full-court in 5-on-0 drills with the Fever’s backups.
MORE: Fever’s Caitlin Clark gets encouraging health update as WNBA playoffs loom
After practice on Tuesday afternoon, Fever head coach Stephanie White answered a question she has been asked many times since Clark suffered a right groin injury on July 15: just how close is the All-Star guard to full health?
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“She’s working as hard as she can to make sure that she is coming back, or is capable of coming back,” White said, confirming that Clark has yet to take part in any practices with contact. “Her health and wellness (long-term) is the most important thing.”
Clark on Tuesday will miss her 19th consecutive game since she sustained the groin injury seven weeks ago. With three games remaining on the Fever’s regular-season schedule, Clark is in a race against time to see the court again as her status for the remainder of the year remains uncertain.
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