Portland Fire Defeat Indiana Fever; Clark Sidelined

The Portland Fire defeated the Indiana Fever 85-80. The Fever announced rookie guard Caitlin Clark was unavailable due to a back injury less than an hour before tip-off. No details about the severity of the injury were provided at the time of the announcement.

For Portland, Kelsey Mitchell led the scoring effort with 24 points. Aliyah Boston contributed a double-double, securing 18 points and 12 rebounds. Erica Wheeler also added 15 points for the Fire.

NaLyssa Smith paced Indiana with 22 points. Katie Lou Samuelson scored 19 points, while Temi Fagbenle recorded 14 points and 9 rebounds. The Fever's loss impacts their playoff standing, while the Fire are looking to climb in the Western Conference