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Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark is set to make her first start in two weeks.
Clark will be available to play in the Fever's road matchup against the Los Angeles Sparks on Wednesday, July 8, coach Stephanie White confirmed at shootaround on Wednesday. The game marks the first of a back-to-back that concludes against the Phoenix Mercury on Thursday.
"I think overall, I feel good," Clark said Tuesday at practice. "Everything's been good up until this point."
Clark said she'd likely be on a minutes restriction upon her return, aiming for over 20 minutes of play. She appeared to be in vintage form at the Fever's shootaround, where she won the team's half-court shot contest.
Meanwhile, Fever center Aliyah Boston has been ruled out Wednesday due to a right leg injury, White said.
Clark was originally listed on the injury report as probable with a back issue she reaggravated in the Fever's 111-109 loss to the Mercury on June 24. Clark exited in the third quarter after landing on a Phoenix defender on a 3-point attempt. Clark was fouled on the play and grabbed her back on the ground.
She has been subsequently sidelined two games — the Fever's 111-87 win over the Sparks and 84-68 victory over the Las Vegas Aces — before making her highly-anticipated return to the lineup.
Her status for Thursday's matchup against the Mercury, however, is uncertain. Clark said she likely won't play against Phoenix while she's ramping back up from injury. She noted the struggles of a back-to-back and four-game road trip all while navigating a lingering back issue.
"With it being a back-to-back, it is obviously kind of tough to get back into it," Clark said Tuesday. "When you have some back stiffness and things like that, it can affect a lot of other areas of your body... Obviously it's not always fun sitting on a plane for four hours and traveling a lot... It's hard on your body to travel and be on the road for 10 days and sleeping in different hotels and things like that. But I know I'm doing everything I can to be as healthy as possible."
More: Trump weighs in on Fever's Caitlin Clark being fouled by Mercury's Alyssa Thomas
Fever center Aliyah Boston popped up on the injury report on Wednesday as questionable due to her right leg. She was later downgraded to out. Boston suffered a right lower leg injury while playing for Unrivaled's Phantom BC earlier this year, subsequently missing the Unrivaled postseason and FIBA Women’s World Cup qualifying tournament in Puerto Rico in March as a result.
The lower leg injury sidelined Boston for the Fever's 89-78 win over Seattle May 17, snapping a streak of 275 consecutive games played dating back to her college days at South Carolina.
Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at [email protected] and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fever's Caitlin Clark available vs. Sparks; Aliyah Boston ruled out
Continue reading...
Clark will be available to play in the Fever's road matchup against the Los Angeles Sparks on Wednesday, July 8, coach Stephanie White confirmed at shootaround on Wednesday. The game marks the first of a back-to-back that concludes against the Phoenix Mercury on Thursday.
"I think overall, I feel good," Clark said Tuesday at practice. "Everything's been good up until this point."
Clark said she'd likely be on a minutes restriction upon her return, aiming for over 20 minutes of play. She appeared to be in vintage form at the Fever's shootaround, where she won the team's half-court shot contest.
Meanwhile, Fever center Aliyah Boston has been ruled out Wednesday due to a right leg injury, White said.
Clark was originally listed on the injury report as probable with a back issue she reaggravated in the Fever's 111-109 loss to the Mercury on June 24. Clark exited in the third quarter after landing on a Phoenix defender on a 3-point attempt. Clark was fouled on the play and grabbed her back on the ground.
She has been subsequently sidelined two games — the Fever's 111-87 win over the Sparks and 84-68 victory over the Las Vegas Aces — before making her highly-anticipated return to the lineup.
Her status for Thursday's matchup against the Mercury, however, is uncertain. Clark said she likely won't play against Phoenix while she's ramping back up from injury. She noted the struggles of a back-to-back and four-game road trip all while navigating a lingering back issue.
"With it being a back-to-back, it is obviously kind of tough to get back into it," Clark said Tuesday. "When you have some back stiffness and things like that, it can affect a lot of other areas of your body... Obviously it's not always fun sitting on a plane for four hours and traveling a lot... It's hard on your body to travel and be on the road for 10 days and sleeping in different hotels and things like that. But I know I'm doing everything I can to be as healthy as possible."
More: Trump weighs in on Fever's Caitlin Clark being fouled by Mercury's Alyssa Thomas
Fever center Aliyah Boston popped up on the injury report on Wednesday as questionable due to her right leg. She was later downgraded to out. Boston suffered a right lower leg injury while playing for Unrivaled's Phantom BC earlier this year, subsequently missing the Unrivaled postseason and FIBA Women’s World Cup qualifying tournament in Puerto Rico in March as a result.
The lower leg injury sidelined Boston for the Fever's 89-78 win over Seattle May 17, snapping a streak of 275 consecutive games played dating back to her college days at South Carolina.
Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at [email protected] and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fever's Caitlin Clark available vs. Sparks; Aliyah Boston ruled out
Continue reading...
