Caitlin Clark leaves Fever vs Mercury game early with back injury

Caitlin Clark was red-hot to start the Indiana Fever's matchup against the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday, but her night was cut short in the third quarter due to injury.

Clark exited the Fever's 111-109 loss to the Mercury on Wednesday with 5:15 remaining in the third quarter because of an ongoing back issue. Fever head coach Stephanie White called a timeout when the Mercury converted Clark's turnover into two points to tie it up at 67-all. Clark headed back to the locker room after the huddle and was downgraded to out.

The two-time All-Star started Wednesday on the Fever's injury report and was listed as probable due to back soreness that previously sidelined Clark in the Fever's win over the Portland Fire on May 20.

Clark was upgraded to available ahead of tipoff and was close to notching her fifth double-double of the season with 19 points and eights assists before her exit. She shot 5-of-9 from the field and 3-of-4 from the 3-point line.

Caitlin Clark injury update

Caitlin Clark (back) was ruled out of Wednesday's matchup against the Phoenix Mercury, the Fever announced.

Clark appeared to tweak her back with 6:25 remaining in the second quarter. She was fouled on a 3-point attempt by Phoenix's Valeriane Ayayi, who didn't provide Clark space to land. Clark subsequently landed on Ayayi's feet and grabbed her back on the ground.

Clark made all three free throws to extend the Fever's lead to 44-38.

What happened to Caitlin Clark's back?

It's not clear when Caitlin Clark first injured her back this season, but she's been dealing with discomfort since the Fever's season-opener. She temporarily exited the Fever's 107-104 season-opening loss to the Dallas Wings on May 9 and returned from the locker room with a wrap around her back. Clark revealed she left the court to get her "back adjusted" midgame because it "gets out of line pretty quickly."

Fever coach Stephanie White said it's going to be an "ongoing thing" this season for Clark, who was limited to 13 games last season due to multiple soft tissue injuries.

"It’s part of maintaining the body.... when we're all really young, we don’t learn proper mechanics, and it doesn't get exposed until something happens," White said on May 9. "This is going to be an ongoing thing. And not just her. We have multiple players who have gone back − we don't have the blue tent, but they're going to go back and get adjusted and make sure that the body's working."

Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at [email protected] and follow her on X at@CydHenderson.

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