The Indiana Fever are less than an hour away from tipping off against the 9-0 New York Liberty on Saturday, in what should be an extremely compelling matchup.
If this game had been scheduled for a week ago, there would have been a lot less intrigue because star Fever guard Caitlin Clark still would have been sidelined with a left quad strain, which she suffered against the Liberty back on May 24.
However, news broke on June 13 that Clark is now fully healed and therefore good to go against the defending WNBA champions. Therefore, this matchup should be as closely contested as that aforementioned May 24 game, which the Liberty won 90-88.
Some have speculated about whether Clark would be on a minutes restriction on Saturday, given that it's her first time playing in three weeks and could therefore need to re-acclimate to game action. But Clark shut this speculation down when speaking with the media pregame.
"Not that I've been told. I don't anticipate a certain level. I’m not a huge fan of minutes restrictions, I think they’re silly," Clark said when asked about potentially being on a minutes restriction, per an X post from Chloe Peterson of IndyStar.
"I told them, ‘I don’t want to come back unless I’m 100% full go.' Why would I be out there to play 20 minutes? I'm out there to win and give everything I have for this team," Clark added. "So my rotations might just be a little shorter to keep me a little fresher. I haven't played a game in three weeks now, so my lungs might be a little different for myself.
"But yeah, no minutes restriction. My rotations just might be a little quicker, just shorter periods to make sure I have my lungs with me," she concluded.
Caitlin Clark says pregame that she doesn’t anticipate being on a minutes restriction against the Liberty:
— Chloe Peterson (@chloepeterson67) June 14, 2025
“I’m not a huge fan of minutes restrictions, I think they’re silly. I told them, ‘I don’t want to come back unless I’m full go.’” pic.twitter.com/JXPchLtxc2
This must be music to Fever fans' ears.
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