The start of the Indiana Fever’s 2026 regular season could not have gone much worse on Saturday. The Fever were beaten 107-104 by Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings in front of a sellout crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, and Caitlin Clark made two trips to the locker room with a potential back injury. Thankfully, everything looks like it’s going to be just fine.
Fever head coach Stephanie White said after the game that Clark’s exit to the locker room was for back adjustments, though her tone suggested it could be something frequent the team will need to manage moving forward.
“That would be the first time I’ve heard that. It’s just part of maintaining the body, this is going to be an ongoing thing, not just her. It’s part of being a professional athlete. We wouldn’t have played her 30 minutes if she wasn’t okay… It’s just part of maintaining the body … this is going to be an ongoing thing, and not just for her,” White said.
Caitlin Clark echoed the same sentiments, saying:
“Just getting my back adjusted. Gets out of line pretty quickly. Other than that, I feel great.”
Saturday’s performance was problematic for a number of reasons. One of the main issues was the Fever’s offense, which shot just 7-of-24 from three-point range. Ultimately, the Fever struggled to generate consistent offense, with Dallas controlling the game for most of the night.
Caitlin Clark, playing her first regular-season game since July 2025, showed flashes despite the result, finishing with 20 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists in 30 minutes. She went 7-of-18 from the field and 2-of-9 from three. While it’s still early in the season, Fever fans still have plenty to look forward to as the team continues building chemistry and cohesion heading into the rest of the schedule.
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