Caitlin Clark Struggles Again In Return From Injury, Fever Blown Out In Matinee Matchup

The WNBA has a yearly tradition in which teams play in the middle of the day during the week as a way to encourage young fans to attend while on summer break or at summer camp. Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark, who had missed her team's previous five games with injury, returned for Indiana's midday matchup against the Golden State Valkyries. 

But it didn't go well, not for Clark and not for the Fever. Indiana lost, 80-61, scoring the second-fewest points the team has had in any game this season. Clark shot 4-for-12 from the field (2-for-5 from three) and scored 10 points. She added six assists and five rebounds. 

The WNBA's biggest star has struggled mightily while battling injuries, particularly over her past four games. Clark is a dismal 3-for-28 (11 percent) from three-point range during that stretch and shooting just 29 percent overall. While Clark haters are using this time to suggest that she's just not that good, it's hard not to think the injuries are starting to take a toll. 

The Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark struggled in a rare weekday matinee matchup against the Golden State Valkyries.

(Trevor Ruszkowski/Imagn Images)

Clark had never missed a game due to injury in her career prior to this season. Not in high school, not in college and not in her first WNBA season. But it all caught up with her in 2025, as Clark has missed 9 of Indiana's 19 games this season. 

All eyes are on Clark heading into next Saturday's WNBA All-Star Game, where Clark is serving as one of two team captains for the game, which is being played in her home arena in Indianapolis. While Clark isn't the type to sit out games if she's physically capable of playing, it might behoove her – and the entire WNBA – for her to simply rest up for that game. 

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While it's an exhibition, and ultimately it doesn't matter, the WNBA All-Star Game figures to draw a massive audience this season, particularly with all the storylines heading into the game. If Clark were to re-aggravate her injury and miss that game, it would be a devastating blow to the league and interest in one of its marquee events. 

Indiana has four games remaining before All-Star Weekend. The Fever next take the court Friday against the Atlanta Dream at home. It'll be interesting to see how the team manages Clark's minutes over this next stretch, particularly if she continues to show the ill-effects from her multiple lower-body injuries this season.