Caitlin Clark Details Comeback From Injury

Caitlin Clark had not been on the winning side of things in a WNBA game since July 2025 until Wednesday night.

In her second game back from injury, Clark led the Indiana Fever to an 87–78 win over the Los Angeles Sparks. She scored a team-high 24 points on 9-17 shooting, and she tallied four rebounds, nine assists, two steals, and a block.

Clark last played in a game the Fever won on July 15, an 85–77 win against the Connecticut Sun. The Fever shut down Clark for the playoffs due to her quad strain and groin issue.

“I think the hardest part of injury is something I’m still really battling and almost struggling with is just the mental hump of getting over everything,” she told reporters before the game.

“I understand my body too well to a point now, and it’s something I wasn’t in touch enough with before my injuries. And now I understand it very well. You just become hypercautious about certain things.”

Clark played in the season opener for the Fever on May 9, a loss to the Dallas Wings, 107–104. She tallied 20 points in the loss but reached 1,000 career points in 54 career games, the sixth-fastest start in league history.

While Clark had the milestone, she also had more trouble with her back. Clark played 30 minutes, but she had to pace herself.

“That moment where my back tightened up, I think I almost got confidence from that because I came back in and I played eight more minutes, so I felt great,” she said. “It’s something I can take confidence from. But it’s going to take me a little bit to really get over the mental hurdle of trusting my body.”

Clark knows the demands she is putting on her body down to the mileage.

“I ran 4.6 miles in that game on Saturday, so it’s a lot of stress on somebody’s body and just the pace and the physicality of it too,” she said. “So, that’s something I will continue to get used to, but I feel really good.”

On Wednesday, Clark played 31 minutes as the game went smoother for her, except in the foul department. Clark committed a technical foul, which she addressed after the game.

“The refs were calling it … I think it’s gonna even out, I think the refs are doing a tremendous job,” Clark told USA Sports on Wednesday night regarding the refereeing. “I deserved the technical they gave me. But I think it’s great for the game. I think they’re gonna keep their hands off, they’re gonna make the play be called. Obviously, they called a lot of fouls tonight, but it’s gonna even out … they’re doing the right thing.”

Clark also made history on Wednesday as the third-fastest guard to 3000 career rebounds in league history. She’s also the only player in the top 10 for both scoring and assists at the moment.

The Fever also had a big night for guard Kelsey Mitchell. She scored 23 points on 9-17 shooting.

“Man, can she score the ball. It’s pretty incredible, one of the best scorers this league has ever seen, so just thankful and need to keep it going,” Clark told USA Sports afterward.

The Fever will also need stronger fourth quarters to keep going forward. Indiana got outscored 26–19 in the fourth quarter, and that included giving up an 11–3 run after building a comfortable lead earlier in the game.

“We knew they were going to do that. They’re a second-half team, fourth-quarter team,” Clark said. “We’ve gotta be a little more disciplined defensively … we’re going to win a lot of games if the other team scores 78 points.”