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Michael Voepel
Guards Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham are expected to play for the Indiana Fever in Saturday’s game against the New York Liberty, coach Stephanie White said Friday after practice in Indianapolis.
Clark has been out since May 26 with a quad strain and has missed five games, during which the Fever have gone 2-3. She last played May 24 against the Liberty, posting 18 points and 10 assists in a 90-88 loss to the defending champions.
“It’s definitely been a process,” 6-footer Clark said of working her way back from the injury. “I think the hardest part is when you begin to feel really good, and then it’s just the process of working yourself back into actually getting up and down and getting out there with my teammates. And obviously that can be a little difficult, at the same time, when they’re prepping for their games that I’m not going to be available in.”
Clark credited the medical staff for helping with her recovery and said she tried to focus on learning from the bench while she has been out.
White said Clark has progressively gotten better as she has returned to practice.
“She’s working her way back,” White told reporters. “I felt like today was better than yesterday in terms of just movement, balance and feeling like she’s getting back into rhythm, timing, all those things. As long as we don’t have any regression, she’s going to be ready to roll.”
White added that, so far, Clark has not had any regression since returning to regular workouts, “so I don’t anticipate there being any.”
Cunningham missed the Fever’s first two games of the season with an ankle injury. She returned for the next four but reinjured her ankle in an 85-83 loss to the Connecticut Sun on May 30.
“I think she’s going to be ready to roll as well,” White said. “Sophie looked really good. Her timing was good. Getting back into game rhythm and timing is the most important thing, and then being able to change directions. So they both look good.”
Their returns for Saturday’s game (3 p.m. ET, ABC) will come against a Liberty squad that is trying to become the fourth team in WNBA history to open a season with at least 10 straight wins. The 2016 Minnesota Lynx hold the league record, having started 13-0.
The Fever don’t expect to have guard/forward DeWanna Bonner, who has been away from practice for personal reasons.
“She’s doing as well as she can be,” White said. “We’re going to continue to support her and give her the time that she needs.”
Indiana is coming off its most lopsided loss of the season, having shot a season-worst 36.2% in a 77-58 loss at Atlanta on Tuesday.
Information from Field Level Media was used in this report.