The Indiana Fever will be looking to bounce back on Friday (July 17), but the challenge won’t be an easy one. Fresh off a four-game Western road trip, Indiana returned home on Wednesday only to suffer an 88-75 loss to the Golden State Valkyries, its lowest-scoring game of the season. With former Iowa coach Lisa Bluder watching from the stands, it seemed like the perfect stage for Caitlin Clark to shine. Instead, the Fever struggled from start to finish. Now, ahead of their next outing, fresh updates have raised concerns over the availability of both Clark and Aliyah Boston. 

With the Fever set to face the Seattle Storm less than 24 hours later, injury concerns once again surrounded Caitlin Clark. The Athletic’s James Boyd shared on X, “ICYMI: #Fever star Caitlin Clark (back) is probable to play tomorrow against the #Storm.” He also pointed out that this is the “16th time this season that Clark has been listed as probable due to her back.” But Clark wasn’t the only player on the injury report. Boyd added, “Fellow star Aliyah Boston (right lower leg) is questionable to play.” 

Was the update surprising? Not really. Clark has frequently appeared on the Fever’s injury report this season before ultimately taking the floor. The same happened against the Golden State Valkyries, when she was listed as probable but still suited up. Even so, it was clear she wasn’t at her best. Playing 26 minutes, Clark finished with 13 points and six assists before revealing she had taken a knee to the quad during the game. Fans also saw her limping after one sequence, adding to concerns over her condition. But while Clark is expected to play, the bigger question now is the status of her teammate, Aliyah Boston. 

Aliyah Boston’s injury update didn’t come completely out of nowhere, either. Fever insider Chloe Peterson pointed out on X, “AB was originally questionable against Los Angeles in the first game of the b2b last week before she was held out for precautionary reasons.” 

The update suggests Boston has been managing the issue for several days, making her status against the Storm one to watch closely. 

Well, Stephanie White has been careful with her stars in recent games. Against the Los Angeles Sparks, Aliyah Boston got the night off while Caitlin Clark played. A few days later, against the Phoenix Mercury, the situation flipped, with Clark resting and Boston returning to the lineup. On Wednesday, however, both were back on the floor against the Valkyries. Boston finished with 15 points and an assist in 25 minutes, providing one of the few bright spots for Indiana.

And history also favors Boston against Seattle. Last season, she delivered several powerful performances against the Storm, including a dominant outing on June 24. In one of the best games of her WNBA career, Boston poured in a career-high 31 points on 13-of-18 shooting while adding eight rebounds and three assists.

With Clark listed as probable and Boston questionable, all eyes now will be on Stephanie White’s approach against Seattle. Given how carefully she has managed their workloads, another calculated decision wouldn’t be a surprise. Even so, neither White nor Clark has shown much concern publicly. 

Neither Fever coach nor Caitlin Clark is under so much pressure 

Despite the disappointing loss, Stephanie White refused to make excuses. Instead, the Fever head coach pointed to her team’s slow start, saying, “I think our mentality to start the ballgame needed to be better. And when you spend all of that energy trying to come back at multiple points in the game, it becomes a hard road at times.” 

Caitlin Clark, meanwhile, was frustrated by a sequence involving Golden State center Kiah Stokes. Explaining what happened after the game, she said, “I got kneed right in the quad. Like, that hurts. Like, the ref can’t miss that, and then I have to play with a contusion in my leg the rest of the game. Like, it’s ridiculous.”  

Even so, the former Iowa star doesn’t expect the injury to keep her out against Seattle. Asked how she was feeling, Clark replied, “Ah, we’ll just rub it out,” she claimed. “Good old knuckles on it and call it a day.” 

So ultimately, with Clark expected to suit up and Boston’s status still uncertain, the focus now shifts to Friday’s matchup against the Storm. For the Fever, it’s a chance to put Wednesday’s disappointing performance behind them and get back in the win column.