WNBA: Caitlin Clark will be back on the court Saturday

FRIDAY EVENING:
Caitlin Clark ended practice Friday by making a halfcourt shot and winning a little bit of lunch money in the process.

And with that, the Indiana Fever star is ready to play again.

Clark — barring any unforeseen setbacks — is expected to be in the lineup when the Fever play host to the reigning WNBA champion New York Liberty on Saturday afternoon. She missed the last five Indiana games with a quadriceps injury.


FRIDAY MORNING:
When will Caitlin Clark return to WNBA courts after her recent injury? About a million TV viewers are waiting to find out.

Clark has missed five games since her quad injury against the New York Liberty on May 24. It was thought she'd be ready for action after two weeks, but her activity has been limited to practice and she missed Tuesday's game against the Atlanta Dream.

The result of her absence in TV ratings has been evident.

Nationally televised WNBA viewership is down 55% since Clark's injury, according to Nielsen. Fever national TV games drew 1,800,000 average viewers before her injury and 847,000 viewers since then.

The Fever went 2-3 without Clark in the lineup, and is currently 4-5 on the season.

The team next plays on Saturday against the Liberty in Indianapolis. Clark's status for that contest remains undetermined.


(AP Photo Michael Conroy)