Under is the smart play in Aces vs. Fever
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USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Caitlin Clark injury update: Fever star ruled out of showdown vs. Aces
The Indiana Fever, the newly minted 2025 Commissioner's Cup Champions, return home to Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Thursday, July 3 to face off against the Las Vegas Aces without Caitlin Clark. Clark will sit out her fourth consecutive game Thursday due to a left groin injury, which also kept her out of the Fever's 74-59 win over the Minnesota Lynx in the 2025 Commissioner's Cup final on July 1. She's set to miss her ninth game of the season after a quad injury sidelined her five games last month. The Fever have gone 4-4 without Clark in the lineup, but eagerly await her return to the court. "(I'm) doing everything I can to put myself in a position to play the next game every single time," Clark said on June 29. "That's always my goal — to be available for the next game. Doing everything I can with the medical staff to be able to get my body right and be able to do that." Despite being listed as "day-to-day," Clark was ruled out of Thursday's matchup one day before the game. Fever head coach Stephanie White said July 2 that the team was taking a cautious approach with Clark and putting "her long-term health and wellness at the forefront." "I think it's five games before All-Star break," White continued, "so let's just ease her mind even though she's antsy, and let's do this the right way and make sure we're ready to go and 100% when she comes back." Here's everything you need to know about the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year's playing status: 2025 WNBA COMMISSIONER'S CUP: Highlights, recap as Fever beat Lynx OPINION: Conspiracy theory about Clark, jealous players much ado about nothing Is Caitlin Clark playing vs. Las Vegas Aces? No. Clark was ruled out for Thursday's matchup against the Aces, the second meeting between the two teams this season. The Fever lost the first matchup 89-81 in Las Vegas on June 22. Clark had 19 points, 10 assists and three rebounds in the loss. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 3. It can be streamed on Prime Video. Caitlin Clark injury update: What happened? Head coach Stephanie White said she first learned of Clark's groin injury on June 25 following the Fever's 94-86 win over the Seattle Storm on June 24, where Clark finished with six points (3-of-13 FG, 0-of-6), nine assists, three steals and two rebounds in 31 minutes of play. Clark previously suffered a quad injury during the Fever's 90-88 loss to the New York Liberty on May 24. Clark returned to the Fever's lineup on June 14 in the Fever's 102-88 win over the Liberty after missing five games, which officially ended her longest stretch of missed due to injury in her collegiate or WNBA career. She dropped 32 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in her first game back. "No one said this season was going to be perfect for us. There's going to be ups and downs," Clark said on June 29. "From injuries or coaches not being here for a couple of games. Everybody has been through a little bit of adversity here. So I think just giving our group credit for being able to stick together and know that whatever we have in our locker room is really all we need to go out there and win. I'm just proud of our group." Caitlin Clark stats Clark ranks second in the WNBA in assists per game to start the 2025 season. Here's a look at the 2024 Rookie of the Year's full stats (per game): The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
Caitlin Clark: Commissioner's Cup pay ‘makes no sense'
WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark took time out of celebrating her Indiana Fever's Commissioner's Cup win to call out the desire for better pay for the league's athletes. The injured Clark didn't play in the Fever's win Tuesday over the Minnesota Lynx, but in the postgame celebration on Instagram livestream, she pointed out the disparity in the financial rewards for winning the Commissioner's Cup and winning the WNBA Finals. 'You get more (money) for this than you do if you're the (WNBA Finals) champion,' Clark said to the camera Tuesday night. 'It makes no sense. Someone tell (WNBA commissioner) Cathy (Engelbert) to help us out.' Each rostered player on the winning Commissioner's Cup team earned up to $30,000 as part of the majority portion of the $500,000 purse, per multiple reports. For comparison, players on the team that wins the WNBA championship reportedly receive $20,825. In another postgame video Tuesday, Clark referred to the in-season tournament final as the 'Cathy Cup.' Clark's comments come as WNBA players are negotiating for a new collective bargaining agreement amid surging popularity in the league. The WNBA registered its highest attendance in 26 years for an opening month to the season as well as record TV ratings. The league announced in June that 400,000 fans attended games since the season tipped off on May 14 through the end of the month, its highest since nearly the league's inception; the WNBA began play in 1997. Further, more than half of all WNBA games were sellouts, a 156 percent increase year over year, according to the release. Additionally, games are averaging 1.32 million viewers across all network partners, nearly tripling last season's average (462,000 viewers), per the league's June 10 release. Clark won't be back on the court when the Fever return to action Thursday against the visiting Las Vegas Aces. She will miss her fourth game in a row (counting the non-regular-season Commissioner's Cup final) because of a left groin ailment. A strained left quad kept Clark out for five games from May 28-June 10.
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Knicks, Magic or Cavs: Which teams are prepared to jump up in the Eastern Conference?
After we finished digesting the news of the three terrible Achilles tears of the playoffs, another question emerged: Which teams would rise to fill the void in the battered, miserable Eastern Conference? Going chronologically, injuries to Damian Lillard, Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton put the immediate fates of the last two conference champions and the team with the conference's best player in doubt. Without those stars, it would be difficult for their teams to compete in 2025-26 and stay financially responsible at the same time. We've seen all three teams grapple with that in June and early July. Advertisement The offseason is not over, and neither is free agency — the likes of Josh Giddey and Jonathan Kuminga are still out there as restricted free agents, and trades could still develop. In the wake of most of the major action, it seems wise to reassess the status of the conference. Of note: This is not an assessment of these teams' offseasons, although that comes into play. As well, while I am separating the teams into tiers, those tiers are not necessarily ranked in order of the predicted standings, although it largely plays out that way. Within the tiers, I have placed the teams I like better (for next year only) at the top. OK, now let's get to this before a trade goes down and shakes all of this up. Half-hearted apologies for the snark. Cleveland Cavaliers (64-18, first in Eastern Conference, lost to Indiana in second round) Losing to the Pacers in five games was rough, but let's not forget that Darius Garland was unhealthy when he was on the court, while Evan Mobley was also playing through pain. That doesn't take away the loss, and this group has yet to win a playoff series against a team with a passable offense. They are the team with the fewest questions, though. Garland will probably miss time after having surgery on his big toe. They got Lonzo Ball for Isaac Okoro to help deal with that absence, also making up for the departure of Ty Jerome. Sam Merrill and Larry Nance are back to help with depth. The Cavaliers are the favorite, if not an overwhelming one. New York Knicks (51-31, third, lost to Indiana in conference finals) Orlando Magic (41-41, seventh, lost to Boston in first round) After a calamitous coaching search, they have reportedly landed on Mike Brown as their new head coach. We will see if he is an upgrade on Tom Thibodeau. The Knicks have also battled some concerning chemistry dynamics. But they've had a sneaky good offseason, given their limited spending power. Adding Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele at the minimum and the tax-payer midlevel exception, respectively, is nice pruning around the edges. The Knicks might be the most likely team at the top of the East to still pull off a trade, but they are a threat as is. Advertisement As for the Magic, 2011-12 was the last time they finished outside of the bottom third in offensive efficiency. In their top six in minutes played that year: a 2025 Hall of Fame inductee (Dwight Howard), a current NBA coach and executive (JJ Redick and Jameer Nelson, the latter an assistant GM with Philadelphia) and the father of a rookie the Magic just drafted (Jason Richardson). However, Desmond Bane, regardless of what you think of the cost, is a wonderful fit next to Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Tyus Jones is a functional NBA point guard. If their stars pop, which doesn't seem like a stretch, they could be right there. Atlanta Hawks (40-42, eighth, lost to Miami in Play-In) Detroit Pistons (44-38, sixth, lost to New York in first round) Milwaukee Bucks (44-38, fifth, lost to Indiana in first round) The Hawks have won the offseason, at least in the Eastern Conference. They took a low-cost risk on Kristaps Porziņģis, signed the most sought-after player available in the non-taxpayer midlevel exception range (Nickeil Alexander-Walker, actually acquired via sign-and-trade) and added some necessary movement shooting and playmaking with Luke Kennard. That's even before addressing the draft night trade they pulled off with the Pelicans, which they could use to further upgrade a roster that features a returning Jalen Johnson. Along with the Magic, the Hawks are the team that has most actively tried to fill the void at the top of the conference. The Pistons didn't overpay to keep their own free agents (to say nothing of the Malik Beasley situation), instead replacing them creatively with Caris LeVert and Duncan Robinson. If Cade Cunningham continues to grow and one or both of Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren takes a leap, the Pistons could sniff 50 wins. We've said a lot of words about the Bucks here at The Athletic. I'll keep it short: They have one of the best players in the world and a roster that makes sense around him. There isn't enough talent at guard on that roster, but the Bucks are trying to win, and Giannis Antetokounmpo is too good to write off. Boston Celtics (61-21, second, lost to New York in second round) Indiana Pacers (50-32, fourth, lost to Oklahoma City in NBA Finals) Here's a bet: One of these two teams will finish in the top six in the East next year. Sure, the Celtics will be without two-thirds of the six-man core that led them to a title two seasons ago if Al Horford leaves. Yes, Indiana lost Myles Turner, and has no obvious way to replace him now or next year. Still, both teams know who they are and how they want to play. Advertisement Pencil them in below .500 at your own peril. Philadelphia 76ers (24-58, 13th) No, you analyze them. I'm not doing it. Toronto Raptors (30-52, 11th) Miami Heat (37-45, 10th, lost to Cleveland in first round) Chicago Bulls (39-43, ninth, lost to Miami in Play-In) The Raptors' biggest transaction was the firing of Masai Ujiri. Still, they have a talented veteran starting lineup — it's just unclear if the five players will fit well together, as Brandon Ingram hasn't played since the Raptors traded for him and injuries have plagued the rest of the roster. They have enough interesting young players (Gradey Dick, Ochai Agbaji, Ja'Kobe Walter, Jamal Shead, Collin Murray-Boyles) to give some upward mobility, but being above the tax threshold as an unproven team is sub-optimal. If you have any faith in the Heat, Erik Spoelstra could be a stealth Coach of the Year choice. (He's never won one.) The Heat swapped out Simone Fonecchio for Duncan Robinson, otherwise bringing back most of the same roster as last year. They were last seen getting swept by Cleveland, outscored by 122 points. Hey, at least the Bulls appear to be using the leverage of a restricted free-agent market without many obvious spenders to their advantage with Giddey. Other than that, the Bulls seem to be relying on the internal growth of late-lottery picks? If history is any indication, the only question is whether they'll host or travel to the 9-10 Play-In Tournament game. Charlotte Hornets (19-63, 14th) The Hornets are clearly in no rush to contend, and you have to wonder what that ultimately means for LaMelo Ball. They gave up on Mark Williams for a second time, trading him to Phoenix for the pick that became Liam McNeeley this year and what's likely to be a late first-rounder in 2029. A fine piece of business. They stole Collin Sexton from the Jazz, and although that created an even bigger hole in the middle, he is much more useful than the outgoing Jusuf Nurkić. Perhaps he can be dealt at the deadline for more future assets. There is something interesting with Ball, Brandon Miller, Kon Kneueppel and Miles Bridges. For now, a fun League Pass team with a chance at the Play-In is likely the ceiling. Advertisement Washington Wizards (18-64, 15th) Brooklyn Nets (26-56, 12th) Marcus Smart! Khris Middleton! CJ McCollum! Malcolm Brogdon! Kelly Olynyk! Look at all this veteran leadership! Sure, they might average 35 minutes per game between all five of them if they're still on the roster before the season, but the locker room is going to be stable as heck. Seriously, the combination of Bilal Coulibaly, Alexander Sarr and Tre Johnson is the beginning of something, but not yet a 30-win team. As for the Nets, they did exactly what a rebuilding team is supposed to do, save for using ALL of their five first-round picks: They rented out their cap space to acquire more picks. It's fine. If they really want to lose, they could move Nic Claxton to a center-starved team. The Nets are the best hope for an all-rookie lineup (before March, maybe!) this year. Also, assuming Cam Thomas is back — he is a restricted free agent — any lineup with both him and Michael Porter Jr. will be a must-watch (if you hate passing and love tough shotmaking). (Top photo of Jalen Brunson, left, and Andrew Nembhard:)
