The last few days have been anything but easy for the Indiana Fever fans. From a crushing last-second loss to the defending champs to the news of Caitlin Clark being sidelined, it’s been a tough stretch. But it’s not just the Fever feeling the heat. After opening the season with two strong wins, the Washington Mystics have now lost three straight, all in games where they had late leads. Now, both teams are looking to bounce back as they face off on May 28 at 7:30 p.m. ET at the CFG Arena in Baltimore, Maryland.

With Caitlin Clark out, the Fever will rely heavily on Aliyah Boston, Kelsey Mitchell, Natasha Howard, DeWanna Bonner, and Sophie Cunningham to lead the scoring charge. On the other side, the Mystics are counting on their exciting rookie duo of Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen—both strong contenders for Rookie of the Year—to keep up their impressive form.

Now, let’s break down the injury report, starting lineups, and try to predict how this game might play out.

Injury report for both teams as Caitlin Clark misses out

The Fever will definitely feel the loss of their star guard Caitlin Clark, who has been officially ruled out for at least the next two weeks with a left quadricep injury. This also breaks Clark’s impressive streak of never missing a game before– playing 139 NCAA games for Iowa and 44 WNBA games for the Fever.

The Mystics, meanwhile, got a boost with Aaliyah Edwards returning in their last game against the Phoenix Mercury. However, they’ll still be without rookie guard Georgia Amoore, who’s out for the season due to an ACL injury. Forward Shakira Austin is listed as questionable after missing recent games due to concussion protocols, but she did train with the team on Tuesday. Head coach Sydney Johnson said she’s expected to play, according to Tyler Byrum of Monumental Sports Network. Let’s see what the starting 5 for both teams could look like.

Predicted starting 5

Indiana Fever

• Aliyah Boston
• Kelsey Mitchell
• Natasha Howard
• DeWanna Bonner
• Sydney Colson

Washington Mystics

• Brittney Sykes
• Sonia Citron
• Kiki Iriafen
• Sug Sutton
• Stefanie Dolson

Prediction: Can the Fever overcome the Mystics without Caitlin Clark?

Fever come into the game after losing against the Liberty, while the Mystics come into the game after losing to the Mercury.

The Sydney Johnson-led side has shown promise early in the season. With three top-6 draft picks—Sonia Citron (No. 3), Kiki Iriafen (No. 4), and Georgia Amoore (No. 6)—they’ve got a young core to build around. Amoore’s out with an ACL injury, but Citron and Iriafen have stepped up big, with the USC-former posting four straight double-doubles and Citron averaging 15.4 points per game. Veteran guard Brittney Sykes has also been a standout, putting up 22.3 points per game.

The Mystics sit at 2-3, but all their losses have been tight — a three-point loss to Las Vegas, a two-point loss to Golden State, and a six-point loss to Phoenix. They also notched wins against Atlanta and Connecticut.

The Fever have started the season much like the Mystics — they lost their two games by a combined 3 points, both decided in the final seconds. Aliyah Boston has been a standout for Indiana, averaging 18.5 points and 10.8 rebounds. The big challenge ahead, though, is replacing Caitlin Clark’s playmaking magic during the next four games she’s expected to miss. The Fever don’t really have another player with her level of creativity, but coach White is leaning on the veteran experience of Colson.

“[Colson] is an elite communicator,” the HC says. “She is in every huddle that we have, whether she’s on the floor or not. She sees things from that point guard position… We can’t call a timeout every time to get a matchup or recognize a switch, so she can help us with that on the floor.” 

For Indiana’s championship hopes, a win over the Mystics without Clark would be huge — it could really solidify their status as a serious contender.

Sky Bet currently has the Indiana Fever as favorites, giving them a -11.5 point spread over the Washington Mystics at +11.5. That makes sense! Even without Caitlin Clark, the Fever have enough talent across their roster to beat a Mystics team that’s talented but still lacks experience.