Caitlin Clark To Miss Matchup With Paige Bueckers Due To Groin Injury

Caitlin Clark’s first matchup against Paige Bueckers will have to wait.

The Indiana Fever star was ruled out of a second consecutive game with a left groin injury. The Dallas Wings, who drafted Bueckers No. 1 overall this year, were set to play the Fever at the home of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks on Friday night.

It’s the first time the Wings have played a home game away from the arena on the campus of the University of Texas at Arlington.

Clark missed the Fever’s 85-75 loss to the visiting Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday. The groin problem is the second injury to sideline her this season. The 2024 first overall pick had never missed a game in college at Iowa or with the Fever before a quad strain that kept her out for five games.

The loss dropped the Fever to 7-8, while the Wings have won three of four following a 1-11 start.

In her first game back from the quad injury, Clark scored a season-high 32 points while helping the Fever hand the New York Liberty their first loss of the season on June 14.

Clark is averaging 18.2 points, 8.9 assists and 5.0 rebounds, and Bueckers is at 17.7 points, 5.8 assists and 4.6 rebounds. Bueckers has missed four games this season, first with a concussion and then an illness.

Reporting by The Associated Press.
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