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Caitlin Clark Returns, Plays 16 Minutes in Loss

7/10/2026

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Summary

Clark Returns

Caitlin Clark returned for Indiana Fever, playing 16 minutes in a 106-92 loss to Los Angeles Sparks.
She scored nine points on 4-of-12 shooting, added four rebounds, three assists and four turnovers.
Coach Stephanie White said the minutes cap protects Clark’s back and announced Clark will sit Thursday versus Phoenix Mercury.
Clark said limited bursts made it hard to find a flow, though she feels great.

Summary

Thomas Suspended

The WNBA suspended forward Alyssa Thomas for one game after upgrading her June 24 foul on Caitlin Clark to a Flagrant-2.
Officials missed Thomas’s knee to Clark’s groin and a fist to her throat on June 24.
Clark agreed with the suspension, called the hit a flagrant foul, and urged better officiating.
Geno Auriemma suggested animosities may have fueled the incident, prompting Rep. Zach Nunn to call for stronger player-safety measures.

Summary

Boston Out

Aliyah Boston was ruled out with a right-leg injury, thinning the Fever’s frontcourt.
Monique Billings and Myisha Hines-Allen each got a third foul early, exiting.
Coach Stephanie White’s challenge on Makayla Timpson’s offensive foul failed, losing a timeout.
White used bench bigs Damiris Dantas and Grace VanSlooten for second-half minutes.
The Sparks capitalized on the depleted paint, scoring 60 lane points and a Rae Burrell put-back.

History

Historical Context

On April 30 1999 the Women’s National Basketball Players Association ratified the league’s first collective bargaining agreement, raising the minimum salary to $30,000, adding health care, maternity leave and revenue-sharing provisions. Those player-protection rules underpin today’s minute caps on rookies such as Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark and the league’s heightened health-and-discipline oversight.

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Clark Returns

Caitlin Clark returned for Indiana Fever, playing 16 minutes in a 106-92 loss to Los Angeles Sparks.
She scored nine points on 4-of-12 shooting, added four rebounds, three assists and four turnovers.
Coach Stephanie White said the minutes cap protects Clark’s back and announced Clark will sit Thursday versus Phoenix Mercury.
Clark said limited bursts made it hard to find a flow, though she feels great.

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