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Caitlin Clark’s first matchup against Paige Bueckers will have to wait.
Clark, the Indiana Fever star, was ruled out of a second consecutive game with a left groin injury. The Dallas Wings, who drafted Bueckers No. 1 overall this year, were set to play the Fever at the 20,000-seat American Airlines Center in Dallas, home of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, on Friday night.
It’s the first time the Wings have played a home game away from the 6,251-seat College Park Center on the campus of the University of Texas at Arlington.
The game was one of several moved to bigger arenas this year in the WNBA due to high demand for tickets from those wanting to see Clark play.
It will be the seventh game Clark has missed to injury this season.
Clark missed the Fever’s 85-75 loss to the visiting Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday. The groin problem is the second injury to sideline her this season. The 2024 first overall pick had never missed a game in college at Iowa or with the Fever before a quad strain that kept her out for five games.
The loss dropped the Fever to 7-8, while the Wings have won three of four following a 1-11 start.
Clark is averaging 18.2 points, 8.9 assists and 5.0 rebounds, and Bueckers is at 17.7 points, 5.8 assists and 4.6 rebounds. Bueckers has missed four games this season, first with a concussion and then an illness.
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