The Indiana Fever entered the 2025 WNBA season hoping to be part of the championship conversation. They added Natasha Howard, DeWanna Bonner and Sophie Cunningham to a roster that already included Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell. They were only 2-2 in their first four games of the season, but their two losses came by a total of three points. After that fourth game, though, disaster struck.
Clark suffered a left quad strain, which was expected to knock her out of action for at least a couple of weeks. Well, a couple of weeks have passed, and the Fever are set to face off against the undefeated New York Liberty on Saturday.
That marquee matchup has WNBA fans asking whether Clark will be able to return to action.
Will Caitlin Clark play today vs. New York?
The answer to that question, fortunately, is yes. The Fever announced on Friday that Clark would be ready to return to action for Saturday's game, and that should have all WNBA fans thrilled.
Can the Fever beat the Liberty even with Clark? I don't know. Indiana lost with Clark at home against New York earlier this season, but the final score of that game was 90-88. Perhaps now Clark can lead the Fever to an upset victory in her return, but ultimately, the Liberty are undefeated for a reason. They are loaded, and will likely be motivated to send Indiana's fans home upset.
Win or lose, getting Clark back is huge for the WNBA and for the Fever. She's not only one of the best players in the league, but she's the biggest star player on Indiana's roster. They go where she goes, as evidenced by their record without her.
What was the Fever's record without Caitlin Clark?
To be fair, the Fever were able to survive without Clark, going 2-3 in games she did not appear in. However, their schedule in that five-game period was extremely light, and they still managed to go under .500, showing how valuable Clark really is.
The Fever got to play the Washington Mystics twice in Clark's absence and split those two games. They took losses to the Connecticut Sun and Atlanta Dream while earning a win against the Chicago Sky. The Fever played three of the five worst teams in the WNBA in that span and managed to only go 2-2. There's reason to believe that with Clark, they would've gone 4-0 or at least 3-1. The one game they played against a formidable foe, the Dream, they were blown out, falling 77-58.
The Fever can scratch out gritty wins against subpar competition without Clark, but they need the superstar on the court to be competitive against quality competition. New York obviously qualifies as such, so getting her back for Saturday's game is a big deal.
Where do the Fever sit in the WNBA standings?
Fortunately, even with Clark missing substantial time, the Fever are in a decent spot in the WNBA standings.
Rank | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
1 | New York Liberty | 9-0 |
2 | Minnesota Lynx | 9-1 |
3 | Atlanta Dream | 6-3 |
4 | Phoenix Mercury | 7-4 |
5 | Seattle Storm | 6-4 |
6 | Las Vegas Aces | 4-4 |
7 | Indiana Fever | 4-5 |
8 | Golden State Valkyries | 4-5 |
The Liberty are at the top of the world right now, and teams like the Lynx and the Dream are off to fantastic starts, but the Fever are still in a decent spot. If you had told any Fever fan that Indiana would be in a playoff spot despite Clark missing more than half of their games, they'd take it. Now, Clark is set to return, and if she comes back strong, the Fever might find themselves in the upper half of the playoff race before too long.