Caitlin Clark departed the Indiana Fever's 111-109 loss to the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday night with a back injury in the third quarter. This marks another instance of the star guard dealing with a back ailment this season. Clark went to the locker room with 5:15 remaining in the third quarter and did not return to the game.
Clark appeared to aggravate her back in the second quarter after being fouled while attempting a three-pointer. She fell to the court and was seen rubbing her back as she got up. Earlier in the game, she briefly went to the tunnel and returned to the bench with a wrap around her back.
Despite the early exit, Clark finished the game with 19 points and eight assists in 20 minutes of play. She has been on the injury report for much of the season with a back issue, having previously missed one game due to it. The Fever had not given her an injury designation for the game she missed, which resulted in a warning from the league.
This has been a challenging week for Clark, who recorded her fifth technical foul against Phoenix on Monday night. The team is currently petitioning the league to have that foul rescinded. On Wednesday, Clark was also noted to be second in All-Star fan voting, trailing teammate Aliyah Boston.