Caitlin Clark, the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year, has been ruled out for Friday night’s matchup against the Dallas Wings due to a left groin injury. This marks her second consecutive game missed and the seventh absence of the season, following a previous quad injury that led to five consecutive missed games. The Indiana Fever announced the injury update just before their scheduled game against the Wings, which was also the first time the team would face the 2025 WNBA first overall pick, Paige Bueckers, this season.
Despite her absence, the Fever managed a 2-3 record without Clark, and she returned with a strong performance, scoring a season-high 32 points against the New York Liberty. However, Clark has faced recent criticism over her shooting slump, going 0 for 6 from three-point range in the Fever’s recent win against the Seattle Storm. The reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year was ruled out against the Las Vegas Aces on Thursday night due to a left groin injury, and Friday will mark her seventh absence this season. Clark previously missed five straight games after suffering a quad injury in the team’s loss to the New York Liberty.
The Fever went 2-3 without Clark, and she returned refreshed, scoring a season-high of 32 points to hand the Liberty their first loss of the season. She followed that dominant performance with another, dropping 20 points with six assists and four 3-pointers in a win over the Connecticut Sun. But Clark has faced scrutiny over the last several weeks because of a shooting slump. “I mean, there’s going to be stretches that are really good and stretches that aren’t as good,” she said earlier this week. “Obviously it’s frustrating. You want them to go in and even tonight there were a few that felt really good off my hand that just didn’t go down.”
Clark was held to just six points in the Fever’s win over the Seattle Storm this week when she went 0 for 6 from 3-point range and 3 for 13 from the field. She converted just 1 of her last 23 3-point attempts.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.