How to watch Fever at Wings: Caitlin Clark will miss showdown against Paige Bueckers
Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers, two of the WNBA's most promising young talents, were set to meet as professionals for the first time on Friday night when the Indiana Fever take on the Dallas Wings. Instead, Clark will miss her second straight game because of a left groin injury, the Fever announced.
The two shared the floor for a couple of high-stakes battles at the college level, including Clark's last Final Four appearance in 2024, but their first matchup as torchbearers for the next generation of WNBA superstars will have to wait. Even so, Friday night's game will be one to watch as Bueckers and a surging Wings team face off against other star-caliber players for the Fever.
How to watch Indiana Fever at Dallas Wings
Venue: American Airlines Center — Dallas
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Time: 7:30 p.m. ET, Friday
TV: ION, WNBA League Pass
Streaming: Fubo (try for free)
Watching in person? Get tickets on StubHub.
The Wings enter at 4-12, but they appear to be trending in the right direction as winners in three of their last four. Bueckers leads the team in scoring and has showcased her all-around skill set, notching over 4.5 rebounds and assists per game while excelling on the defensive end of the floor. She's averaging nearly 21 points per game since June 11 and popped for a career-high 35 in a 13-point loss to the Phoenix Mercury on the same day.
Clark, who's averaging 18.2 points, 8.9 assists and five rebounds per game, will be sidelined for the seventh time this season. She sat out five games after suffering a left quadriceps strain on May 24, and then missed Indiana's home loss to the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday night due to her most recent injury.
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Her Fever are still finding their footing, bouncing around the .500 mark and retooling the roster on the fly, but the hallmarks of a title contender are there when everyone is healthy. Aliyah Boston (31 points) and Kelsey Mitchell (26) helped guide Indiana to a much-needed win over the Seattle Storm on Tuesday — a rare off night when Clark finished with more turnovers (eight) than points (six). Without Clark on the court, Mitchell led the Fever with 20 points against the Sparks.
Beyond Bueckers, Dallas also rosters three-time All-WNBA guard Arike Ogunbowale and All-Defensive guard DiJonai Carrington. The Wings are still in transition under the direction of first-year head coach Chris Koclanes, but they have a strong foundation and look poised to put their 1-11 start behind them.
Clark's absence will likely disappoint fans who bought up tickets to watch her duel with Bueckers. The Wings announced in March that Friday's contest would be moved from their regular venue to American Airlines Center — home of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, among others — due to increased demand. Fortunately for them, the Fever and Wings will play each other three more times, including another date in Texas on Aug. 1.
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This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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