Overview
- The Indiana Fever ruled Caitlin Clark out with back stiffness roughly 100 minutes before tip for the May 20 home game against the Portland Fire, listing her as out on the team’s social update.
- Coach Stephanie White said Clark woke up stiff, that the decision was precautionary, and she denied the absence was part of a season‑long workload management policy.
- Fieldhouse Files reporter Scott Agness said the scratch was tied to a strategic management plan, a characterization that some media sources repeated and the team later pushed back on.
- Indiana beat Portland 90-73 without Clark, with Aliyah Boston leading the team with 24 points and the Fever showing short‑term depth when Clark is unavailable.
- The late change has drawn fan and reporter scrutiny because Clark missed Tuesday practice and was not on the day‑before injury report, and the WNBA may review the Fever’s reporting timeline while Clark’s status for the May 22 game remains uncertain given her 2025 injury history.