Caitlin Clark was available Friday night when the Indiana Fever faced the Golden State Valkyries, giving Indiana its star back after she missed Wednesday’s 90-73 win over the Portland Fire because of a back injury. The Fever and Valkyries met in the 2026 season at 6:30 p.m. CT, with fans able to watch live on ION.
Indiana entered the game at 3-2, looking for its fourth victory of the season after Clark sat out for the first time this year. In her absence, Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston combined for 45 points in the win over Portland, a reminder that the Fever can still score when Clark is not on the floor, but also a sign of how much they expect her return to change the offense.
Clark had been listed as probable on the team’s Thursday injury report and was announced as available Friday afternoon. She came into the game as the No. 2 player in WNBA MVP odds behind reigning MVP A’ja Wilson as of Thursday afternoon, while Indiana also carried the fourth-best odds to win the 2026 WNBA championship, behind the Las Vegas Aces, New York Liberty and Atlanta Dream.
The matchup also gave Golden State a chance to steady itself after a 69-63 loss to the Chicago Sky on May 13 left the Valkyries at 2-1. Janelle Salaun led the team with 15.7 points per game, Veronica Burton averaged 15.0 points and 7.3 assists, Gabby Williams averaged 14.7 points and 5.3 rebounds, and Kayla Thornton added 10.7 points and 5.7 rebounds. Those numbers have helped define the Valkyries early, but Friday was about whether they could slow a Fever team that had its most important player back in uniform.
For Indiana, the timing mattered. A win would move the Fever one step further into the top tier of the early standings, and Clark’s return answered the immediate question left by Wednesday’s injury scare: the back issue kept her out once, but not long enough to change the team’s direction.
