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Indiana Fever Are Running Out of Season to Salvage
Aug 31, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White yells during the second quarter against the Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Indiana Fever Are Running Out of Season to Salvage

Originally posted on Indiana Fever on SI
By Robin Lundberg  |  Last updated Sep 3, 2025 10:56 AM ET

One can only tread water for so long before going under. And though the Indiana Fever have been able to stay afloat all season long despite a myriad of injuries, Tuesday felt like a blow toward the team's chances to keep swimming.

Not only did the Fever drop a second consecutive game, this one to the Phoenix Mercury, putting them back in the 8th spot in the standings and lessening the prospects of a playoff guarantee, but the tone around Caitlin Clark's potential injury return also wasn't overly optimistic.

It's hard to blame the squad for faltering a bit given the plethora of hardship players who are being relied upon, particularly with even the backups to the team's transcendent star being shelved. Still, for all the fight the Fever have shown, recent wins over the Seattle Storm and Los Angeles Sparks had spurred hope for stronger postseason positioning, perhaps priming Indiana for a timely return from Clark.

However, though the star point guard notably took part in some practice action before the contest against the Mercury, coach Stephanie White seemed to temper expectations by stating that Clark has yet to be cleared for contact.

That before her former star with the Connecticut Sun, Alyssa Thomas, led the way as Phoenix dispatched of the shorthanded Fever—complete with a bit of a dig in White's direction.

"Everything's pretty much the same, so, defense, offense, we know everything they're about to do," Thomas declared after the victory.

To be fair to White, it's hard for her to get too inventive given the personnel and circumstances, but the comments stuck some since the loss dropped the Fever to just a game above the Sparks (and falling out of the playoffs entirely) and in position for a first round date with the Minnesota Lynx as things stand.

Caitlin Clark Has Feisty Exchange With DeWanna Bonner

If there was a bright spot in the contest, it was once again the fight the Fever showed—which went for the sidelined Clark as well.

Clark had a feisty exchange with former teammate (albeit briefly) DeWanna Bonner in the second half, one that saw her shoo Bonner back to the Mercury bench. Clark surely spoke for all Fever fans in the moment, and showed that her competitive spirit remains active.

What that means for her chances of a return are unclear, as though White dampened the enthusiasm about the practice footage, she still left the door open for Clark to be back—continuing the nearly two month theme of no timeline for Clark's potential comeback.

Though the bottomline is the team is running out of time. Indiana has only three regular season games remaining, hosting the Chicago Sky up next on Friday.

What happens in this stretch will show just how long they may be able keep their 2025 WNBA season alive, and whether the "hope" of Clark's return falls into the false category.

This article first appeared on Indiana Fever on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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