LAS VEGAS (WRTV) -- The Indiana Fever get back their superstar for the final game of their week-long road trip out west.
Caitlin Clark, who's been dealing with a back issue, will be available but on a minutes restriction for Sunday's match-up against the Las Vegas Aces. The three-time All-Star sat out Thursday's game in Phoenix to rest after playing 16 minutes the night before in Los Angeles.
Fever head coach Stephanie White said Saturday that Clark will be on a 20-25 minute restriction to try and manage her return.
"I think the biggest thing is, when you haven't done anything really for a couple weeks, it's endurance. It's building endurance. It's efficiency," White said. "It's getting back in rhythm, getting back in timing, getting back in flow and all of those things, and trying to expand to longer periods of time."
Clark did practice with the team in Las Vegas Saturday afternoon. White said the plan on when and how those minutes will be used Sunday will be a "collaborative" decision between the team and Clark.
"Over the last 18 months, she's learned a lot about her body. She's competitive. She wants to play. She wants to be out there. There's no doubt about that. And of course, we want her to be out there," White said. "I think there are times where you have to save a player from themselves when they want to do too much... It's all collaborative and making sure everybody's on the same page."
White emphasized that the team and training staff are focused on Clark's overall health.
"As always, we want to be conservative and think about the long-term health and wellness," White said. "Often times when you're coming back from injury, fatigue is also a factor, and building endurance is also a factor. When you're fatigued, you have a tendency to get hurt. I do think that it's just being cautious."
The Fever face the Aces for the second time this road trip. Indiana began the swing in Las Vegas, beating an Aces team without 8-time All-Star A'ja Wilson by 16. The Fever tip off against the Aces Sunday at 9 p.m. Eastern.
