On Friday night, the Indiana Fever squared off against the Los Angeles Sparks in a contest that could have repercussions on the playoff picture come season's end. The Fever were still without their best player in Caitlin Clark as she continues to nurse a groin injury that has now kept her out for the past 17 games. Nevertheless, the Fever still got the job done on Friday, taking a 76-75 win courtesy of a powerhouse performance from Aliyah Boston.
Clark, while she was well-pleased with the Fever's victory, clearly didn't take too kindly to the officiating her team received on the night. The Sparks shot six more free throws despite focusing on a more perimeter-oriented approach to scoring the ball, and Indiana was even outmuscling them all night long on the glass and in the paint.
This annoyance of hers was very much obvious following the final buzzer as Clark gave the referees an incredulous look before shouting furiously at the officials as she had to be held back by Boston before she did something she would have regretted.
Caitlin Clark was visibly annoyed after the Fever's win over the Sparks 😳
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 30, 2025
At the end of the day, the Fever still pulled out a major victory over the Sparks, so all is well that ends well for Clark and the rest of her team. This win was their 21st of the season in 39 tries, and they moved to the sixth spot among playoff teams as a result.
Clark has been missing since the middle of July, and yet her presence still looms large for the Fever even though she's relegated to nothing more than cheerleading duties on the bench. But her team clearly feeds off the energy she brings, and she is the emotional lightning rod for her team, if the short clip above is any indication.
Will Caitlin Clark be healthy in time for the Fever's looming playoff run?
There are five games remaining in the regular season for the Fever, and it's not quite clear if Clark will be back for any of those games to at least get back to game speed/shape prior to the start of the playoffs.
It's clear that the groin injury Clark is dealing with is more serious than anyone could have envisioned when she first began missing games in the middle of July. The Fever have done a good enough job of holding the fort with their star point guard on the mend, but she'll be needed against the best of the best come playoff time.
