Caitlin Clark left the Indiana Fever’s game last night with a back injury and did not return. The play happened in the third quarter of the Fever’s 111-109 loss to Phoenix, after she had already appeared to tweak her back earlier in the game.

What happened

  • Clark finished with 19 points and 8 assists in 20 minutes before exiting.
  • She had gone to the locker room earlier in the game, then later left for good in the third quarter.
  • The Fever said the contact was part of a physical game, and a separate play involving Alyssa Thomas drew scrutiny after Clark was hit in the throat.

Latest context

The most recent reports say the WNBA later suspended Alyssa Thomas for one game for the throat contact, while Clark’s back injury remained the reason she left the game. That means the big story from last night was both the injury scare and the league’s review of the physical play around it.

Quick read

In plain terms: Clark got hurt, tried to keep playing, but left after her back tightened up again. The Fever and league attention afterward centered on both her health and the no-call on the throat contact.

TL;DR: Caitlin Clark exited last night’s Fever game with a back injury, didn’t return, and the aftermath also included a WNBA suspension for Alyssa Thomas over a separate contact play.