Are Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese playing today?

Any time the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky are scheduled to play each other, it draws plenty of attention — not just from WNBA fans, but from sports fans in general, as arguably the league’s two biggest stars, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, take the floor.

However, today’s 3:00 p.m. EST matchup on ABC, which is being held in the United Center to accommodate increased demand for tickets, might be missing both Clark and Reese. Clark has been ruled out of today’s game. She has not played since July 15th, when she reaggravated a groin injury that has limited her to playing in just 13 of the Fever’s 25 regular season games so far this season. 

The Fever said in a press release on the 24th that, “There is no timetable available for Clark’s return and no additional details will be provided at this time.”

Reese has a chance to play, but is listed as questionable with a back injury that caused her to miss two of the Sky’s last three games. According to Sky head coach Tyler Marsh, Reese participated in yesterday’s practice but did not do any contact drills.

Reese's absence has implications for the playoff race

Reese playing is especially important for the Sky who need to string together some wins in a hurry if they want to make the playoffs. The Sky are 7-17 and sit 4.5 games back of the last playoff spot with 20 games left in the regular season. A win over the Fever today would represent the Sky’s second win over a team currently in the playoff field.

The Sky are 0-2 without Reese this season with the average margin of defeat being 37.5 points. The 13-12 Fever have fared better without Clark, going 6-7 (including a win over the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Championship that doesn’t count towards their regular season record), and currently hold the six-seed in the WNBA playoffs.

Unfortunately, the two will not face off on Sunday. Clark will miss the game and Reese is still a question mark a few hours before tipoff.