Caitlin Clark struggles in return from back injury, calls out Fever's short substitution patterns

Caitlin Clark struggles in return from back injury, calls out Fever's short substitution patterns 'It's really, really hard to get into a flow,' Clark said after the 106-92 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks By Jack Maloney Jul 9, 2026 at 12:57 pm ET • 3 min read Add CBS Sports on Google Getty Images On Wednesday night, Caitlin Clark's returned to the court after a multi-week absence due to a back injury, and while she thankfully avoided further physical harm, the game itself could not have gone worse. The Indiana Fever star finished with nine points, four rebounds, three assists and four turnovers on 4 of 12 shooting, including 1 of 6 from 3-point range in a 106-92 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks, who had lost their last three games by a combined 70 points. To make matters worse, Clark criticized the team's return-to-play plan for her, saying it was "really hard to get into a flow."

She was limited to short bursts of action and just under 16 total minutes. Additionally, Clark will not play in the second night of the Fever's back-to-back against the Phoenix Mercury on Thursday. However, her All-Star teammate Aliyah Boston, who sat out of Wednesday night's game with a lower left leg injury, is expected to play in Phoenix.

Clark was injured during the Fever's loss to the Mercury on June 22, when she was on the receiving end of what Fever coach Stephanie White called two "cheap shots." One, a retroactive Flagrant 2 foul by Alyssa Thomas, who put her fist on Clark's neck, ignited a media firestorm and resulted in Thomas getting a one-game suspension. Here's a look at Clark's six stints against the Sparks.

The longest uninterrupted stretch was three minutes and 15 seconds to start the game. First quarter: 10:00 -- 6:45 (3 minutes, 15 seconds)First quarter: 2:22 -- 0:00 (2 minutes, 22 seconds)Second quarter: 10:00 -- 8:31 (1 minute, 29 seconds)Second quarter: 4:23 -- 1:18 (3 minutes, 5 seconds)Third quarter: 10:00 -- 7:42 (2 minutes, 18 seconds)Fourth quarter: 10:00 -- 6:50 (3 minutes, 10 seconds)Clark, who has previously called minutes restrictions "silly," said that Wednesday's plan was "not my decision. That was somebody else's decision.""

It's just really hard when you're playing three minutes, (sub) out, three minutes, three minutes, then you're on the bench," Clark said. "It's really, really hard to get into a flow. For the most part, I got good looks, some of them went, some of them didn't.

I probably didn't get to have a feel for the game as I usually do, like it's just really, really hard for me to play in that scenario, but overall, my body feels great, so that's the positive I can take from today."Minutes restrictions and sitting one half of a back-to-back are perfectly normal steps for a player returning from injury, but the two-to-three minute stints for Clark were bizarre. It's hard to recall another player being brought back in such a manner.

Three five-to-six minute stints would have made more sense, and if that means Clark has to come off the bench, so be it. Fever coach Stephanie White called the substitution pattern a "tough scenario.""Anytime you've missed a couple weeks, it's going to take time to get acclimated," White said.

"It's going to take time to build endurance … It's just a tough scenario when you're on a minutes restriction and you're trying to get back into rhythm throughout the course of the season. She's going to continue to get better, and we're going to continue to get better as we get her working back in."

This was just one game, so it's not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of the Fever's season, but losing a very winnable road game is a blow for a team that's failed to live up to expectations and is stuck in the middle of a congested playoff race. Now 12-9, the Fever have dropped to seventh place. If anything, a rare public criticism of the Fever from Clark -- albeit a mild one -- was the most notable outcome from the night.

Add CBS Sports on Google Join the Conversation comments On Wednesday night, Caitlin Clark's returned to the court after a multi-week absence due to a back injury, and while she thankfully avoided further physical harm, the game itself could not have gone worse. The Indiana Fever star finished with nine points, four rebounds, three assists and four turnovers on 4 of 12 shooting, including 1 of 6 from 3-point range in a 106-92 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks, who had lost their last three games by a combined 70 points. To make matters worse, Clark criticized the team's return-to-play plan for her, saying it was "really hard to get into a flow."

She was limited to short bursts of action and just under 16 total minutes. Additionally, Clark will not play in the second night of the Fever's back-to-back against the Phoenix Mercury on Thursday. However, her All-Star teammate Aliyah Boston, who sat out of Wednesday night's game with a lower left leg injury, is expected to play in Phoenix.

Clark was injured during the Fever's loss to the Mercury on June 22, when she wa