Caitlin Clark exited the Fever's 95-80 preseason loss to the Dallas Wings on Thursday after a third-quarter collision with Alanna Smith at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
A collision with Dallas Wings big Alanna Smith sent Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark to the bench in the third quarter of Thursday night's preseason game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. She didn't return. Clark finished with 21 points in 16 minutes in the 95-80 loss.
It was Clark's first game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in more than nine months. A series of soft tissue injuries had limited her 2025 season to 13 games. Officials upgraded the foul to a flagrant 1 after a replay review. Clark made two of three free throws and didn't see the floor again.
Clark went up for a 3-pointer early in the third quarter and came down on Smith's foot after Smith closed out without leaving room for a clean landing. Both players went to the floor. She stayed down for a moment, then got up with a noticeable limp and walked off as officials reviewed the foul.
"I feel good. I just landed on my kneecap really hard," Clark said. "I know there's a committee of people that really wanted them [the refs] to start calling things, and I thought they did a great job of that. Honestly, I thought the refs were great, and it's preseason, so you're probably going to see more fouls called. I expect that number to drop. But I think overall, it's going to improve the product."
Head coach Stephanie White said the substitution had been planned before the collision and that Clark required no further evaluation.
"We had planned for her to come out about that time anyway," White said. "It was just an extra precaution getting her out in that moment, but the plan was for her to start the third quarter and then get her out quickly."
Clark scored 14 of her 21 points in the opening quarter and finished with 2 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 turnovers. She shot 4-of-6 from the field and 11-of-13 at the free throw line.
Indiana also played without All-Star center Aliyah Boston, who sat for the second consecutive preseason game with a lower leg injury. Kelsey Mitchell logged 17 minutes and added 10 points.
Dallas leaned on reigning Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers, who scored 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting in 20 minutes. Top overall pick Azzi Fudd added 4 points in 16 minutes. The Wings opened a 53-26 lead with a 22-5 second-quarter run and did not trail again.
Clark's right groin injury on July 15, 2025, in a win at Boston was the last game she played for the Fever before a months-long absence. She missed the All-Star Game in Indianapolis, the final 22 regular-season games, and Indiana's run to the WNBA semifinals. She returned to the floor for Team USA in FIBA Women's World Cup qualifying games in early March, then opened the preseason with the Fever in a 109-91 win at New York, where she went 2-of-10 from the field.
Indiana closes its preseason schedule Saturday against the Nigerian national team. The regular season begins May 9, when the Fever host the Wings in a rematch at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
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