Fever Falter Without Caitlin Clark As Liberty Dominate Heading Into All-star Weekend

NEW YORK – The Indiana Fever fell to nan New York Liberty successful their last crippled earlier nan All-Star break this play arsenic prima defender Caitlin Clark was sidelined pinch a groin injury. 

Breanna Stewart led nan Liberty pinch 24 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists and Sabrina Ionescu added 15 points and 9 assists successful nan 98-77 triumph complete nan Fever connected Wednesday night. 

New York Liberty's Breanna Stewart (30) blocks a changeable by Indiana Fever's Natasha Howard (6) during nan 2nd half of a WNBA hoops crippled Wednesday, July 16, 2025, successful New York.  (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

The Liberty controlled astir of nan crippled as Clark was ruled out conscionable earlier tip-off pinch a groin injury, marking her 3rd absence of nan play owed to injury.  

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"Look, we’ve faced adversity. There’s nary uncertainty astir it. But we’ve besides grown done it and we’ve talked astir it from time 1 – nary matter what keeps coming astatine america – and each squad successful nan convention has faced immoderate benignant of adversity," Fever caput coach Stephanie White said aft nan game.

"We’ve sewage to extremity talking astir building consistency and we’ve sewage to commencement doing it. We’ve sewage to understand that each azygous time we’re going to spot opponents' champion shots and we’ve sewage to beryllium fresh for it. And past we’ve sewage to find I deliberation immoderate benignant of canine successful us, right? We play difficult and astatine times we tin beryllium disruptive and beryllium really bully connected nan protect end, and astatine nan extremity of nan day, that’s sewage to beryllium accordant for us."

White said nan squad is looking for a "reset" heading into the WNBA All-Star break which will beryllium hosted by Indiana opening connected Friday. Clark is owed to compete successful nan 3-point contest, alongside Ionescu, and was named a skipper successful Saturday’s All-Star Game. 

Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark, 3rd from left, and Sophie Cunningham respond pinch teammates to a three-point changeable by New York Liberty's Marine Johannes during nan 2nd half of a WNBA hoops crippled Wednesday, July 16, 2025, successful New York.  (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

FEVER COACH SAYS CAITLIN CLARK'S ALL-STAR GAME APPEARANCE UP IN THE AIR AS TEAM FOCUSES ON 'LONG-TERM' HEALTH

But her latest setback has raised questions astir Clark’s readiness for nan weekend. 

"No chat yet astir this weekend," White told reporters earlier nan game. "There was imaging done and obviously, we're ruling her retired for coming but location hasn't been immoderate chat beyond tonight." 

Clark is dealing pinch her 2nd groin wounded of nan year. White said she does not judge that Clark’s latest injury, which was sustained successful nan last minutes of Tuesday night’s triumph complete nan Connecticut Sun, is nan aforesaid arsenic her erstwhile injury. Clark has besides missed 5 games early into nan play because of a quad injury. 

"I'm not really judge that it's a re-injury arsenic overmuch arsenic a different benignant of injury. I cognize oftentimes erstwhile you're moving pinch injuries successful nan groin and nan quad and nan hamstring and each of those things, there's conscionable – they're each benignant of tied together and it's not ever conscionable 1 thing." 

Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark watches arsenic players lukewarm up earlier a WNBA hoops crippled betwixt nan New York Liberty and nan Fever Wednesday, July 16, 2025, successful New York.  (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

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The Fever dropped to 4-6 successful games without Clark aft Wednesday night's loss. Kelsey Mitchell led Indiana pinch 16 points. The Fever will return from nan All-Star break connected Tuesday wherever they will face the Liberty successful Brooklyn again. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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