Fever star Caitlin Clark avoids serious injury after scary fall leads to early exit in preseason game

Indiana Fever prima defender Caitlin Clark exited Thursday night’s preseason crippled against the Dallas Wings aft colliding with 1 of their players.  

Clark was seen hobbling connected the tribunal aft taking a step-back three-point changeable and landing connected Wings prima defender Alanna Smith’s ft successful the 3rd 4th of the matchup. Upon landing, Clark told reporters aft the 95-80 nonaccomplishment that she deed her genu hard erstwhile she went down aft the foul by Smith.  

Clark rolled implicit connected the tribunal and tried to locomotion it disconnected arsenic she went toward the Fever bench. Officials ended up reviewing the play and gave Smith, the reigning co-Defensive Player of the Year successful the WNBA, a Flagrant 1 foul for not giving Clark a harmless magnitude of country to onshore aft shooting.

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Indiana Fever defender Caitlin Clark shoots the shot successful the 2nd fractional against the Dallas Wings astatine Gainbridge Fieldhouse successful Indianapolis connected April 30, 2026. (Trevor Ruszkowski/Imagn Images)

Clark exited the crippled with less than 8 minutes near successful the 3rd quarter.

She finished with a team-high 21 points contempt missing astir of the 2nd half. Clark deed 2 of her 3 attempted three-pointers, portion knocking down 11 of 13 from the escaped propulsion line. She besides had 2 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 bargain successful the contest.

Being this was a preseason matchup, Fever fans were holding their corporate enactment watching Clark successful the moment, particularly considering the tumultuous play she had successful 2025.

CAITLIN CLARK RETURNS TO WNBA COMPETITION AFTER 2025 INJURY IN FEVER PRESEASON GAME

Clark played conscionable 13 games successful her sophomore campaign, acold from what she had hoped aft winning WNBA Rookie of the Year and mounting the single-season assists grounds successful 2024.

Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever brings the shot up the tribunal against Odyssey Sims of the Dallas Wings during a preseason crippled astatine Gainbridge Fieldhouse successful Indianapolis, Ind., connected April 30, 2026. (Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

But it appeared Clark avoided a superior wounded that could’ve travel successful that situation. Being successful someone’s landing portion aft a changeable tin pb to terrible injuries, particularly ankles turning.

Fever caput manager Stephanie White didn’t look to privation to propulsion Clark, and sat her the remainder of the way.

The Fever inactive person 1 much preseason crippled remaining connected the schedule, arsenic they look the Nigerian nationalist squad connected Saturday. Then, it’s regular-season basketball, with the Fever’s archetypal crippled that counts connected the grounds against these aforesaid Wings successful Dallas connected May 9.

Indiana Fever defender Caitlin Clark questions a hold of crippled telephone against the Dallas Wings during a preseason crippled astatine Gainbridge Fieldhouse successful Indianapolis, Ind., connected April 30. (Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire)

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The Wings are an intriguing squad to watch, with Azzi Fudd, the No. 1 wide prime successful this year’s WNBA Draft, reuniting with chap UConn teammate Paige Bueckers to statesman her pro journey. Bueckers led the Wings with 20 points connected Thursday night, portion Fudd finished with 4 points.

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