Caitlin Clark was listed as probable ahead of Thursday’s rematch with the Golden State Valkyries as she continues to deal with a back issue early in the WNBA season.
The update came roughly a week after Clark was a late scratch for Indiana’s May 20 matchup against the Portland Fire — the first game she missed this season — and two days after she returned to the starting lineup and scored a team-high 22 points in the Fever’s win over the Valkyries last Friday. Indiana beat Portland 90-73 without her on May 20, then pushed its win streak against the Valkyries to three consecutive victories on May 22.
The numbers underline what the Fever are weighing. Clark, who appeared in 40 games and won Rookie of the Year in 2024, has shown she can carry the offense: her 22-point night came the same week she was scratched, a rare flip between absence and impact. Yet she also arrives at this moment with an injury history that complicates the calculation — she was limited to 13 appearances in 2025 because of a groin strain and an ankle-bone bruise.
That history is why the caitlin clark back issue matters now. The Fever have to decide whether to roll with the player who returned last Friday and produced a team-high scoring night, or to continue protecting her minutes and let other pieces pick up workload after May 20’s victory without her. All signs also pointed to Bree Hall being available to suit up for the matchup, giving the Fever more roster flexibility.
The tension is straightforward and concrete: Clark’s availability swings between a late scratch and a 22-point starter in the span of days. The team listed her probable for Thursday, but she remains an injury-management question rather than an all-clear. Clark’s quick return against the Valkyries shows she can be effective coming off a missed game; the flip side is the danger of recurring setbacks after seasons already interrupted by injuries.
Off the court, Clark has been visible and active. She warmed up on the court before a May 17 game against the Seattle Storm at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, and was seen at Oracle Park on May 27 attending the San Francisco Giants game against the Arizona Diamondbacks with her boyfriend, Connor McCaffery; both were pictured wearing Giants hats. Her public comments from 2024 also give a sense of her sports-minded life beyond basketball — she has said she likes the Phillies and Bryce Harper, that she still follows the Cubs and Yankees, and that she’ll cheer for the Phillies in the postseason.
Those were personal notes; the practical ones are the dates and outcomes. Clark’s May 20 absence was the season’s first missed game for her; the Fever won that night, 90-73. Two days later she returned and led the team in scoring with 22 points in a win that extended Indiana’s recent dominance over the Valkyries.
The most consequential unanswered question now is whether Clark will be cleared to play in Thursday’s rematch and, if she does, how the Fever will manage her minutes. The roster has already shown it can win without her for a night; it has also shown the team lifts when she’s on the floor. The decision — precautionary or aggressive — will determine how the Fever try to balance short-term gains against longer-term availability in the stretch ahead.
