Caitlin Clark scratched, Fever beat Fire

Indiana ruled Caitlin Clark out less than two hours before tipoff on Wednesday, citing a back injury, and then beat the Portland Fire 90-73 in Indianapolis. The late change came after Clark had not appeared on earlier injury reports, prompting questions about whether the Fever complied with league reporting rules. On the court, Indiana moved to 3-2 behind Aliyah Boston’s return and a balanced scoring night. Off the court, attention shifted to the timing of Clark’s scratch and what, if anything, the WNBA might do next. ### How late was Clark’s scratch? The Fever announced Clark was out with a back injury shortly before their 7 p.m. ET home game on May 20, according to CBS Sports and the official game recap. WNBA.com’s game story said Indiana ruled Clark out with a back injury less than two hours before tipoff, marking her first missed game of the season. The WNBA’s official injury-report page says teams must identify any player whose participation may be affected by 5 p.m. local time the day before a game, except for the second game of a back-to-back, when the deadline is 1 p.m. local time on game day. The same page says reports are updated throughout the day. ### Why did the timing draw scrutiny? (cbssports.com) The league’s reporting rules became part of the story because Clark was not listed on earlier public injury reports before being downgraded to out. USA Today reported that the Fever announced Clark would be sidelined about an hour and a half before the 90-73 win over Portland, and multiple outlets said the WNBA could review whether the team’s handling of the injury status complied with league policy. (wnba.com) Stephanie White said after the game that Clark’s issue was not considered serious and that the decision was precautionary, according to Yahoo Sports and other postgame reports. That explanation became central to the questions around when the injury first arose and when it should have appeared on the report. (usatoday.com) ### Who filled Clark’s role against Portland? Tyasha Harris made her first start of the season in Clark’s place and logged 34 minutes, a sharp increase from her previous season high of 16 minutes, according to Yahoo Sports. WNBA.com said Harris finished with seven assists, two steals and no turnovers, though she did not score. (sports.yahoo.com) Kelsey Mitchell handled more of Indiana’s scoring load and added 21 points, while Lexie Hull had 16 points and eight rebounds on perfect shooting. Indiana led by double figures throughout the second half and improved to 3-2. ### What did Boston’s return mean for Indiana? Aliyah Boston returned after missing the Seattle game and scored 24 points with eight rebounds, according to the official recap. (sports.yahoo.com) WNBA.com said Boston had missed a game for the first time in her career on Sunday, then came back against Portland and helped Indiana build a 53-37 halftime lead. Portland fell to 2-3 despite 16 points from Bridget Carleton and 14 from Sug Sutton. (wnba.com) The expansion Fire next play at Toronto on Saturday, while Indiana stays home. ### What happens next with the Fever and the league? Indiana hosts Golden State on Friday, according to the official WNBA game recap. The WNBA injury-report page continues to publish updates throughout each game day, and any league review of the Clark reporting timeline would unfold against those published reporting requirements. (wnba.com)