Caitlin Clark's injury threatens to doom an incredible guard matchup

Indiana fans were disappointed to see Caitlin Clark show up on the injury report for yesterday's game against Kelsey Plum and the Los Angeles Sparks. She suffered a groin injury and is listed as day-to-day, so the timing of a back-to-back is terrible for the Fever. Indy against Dallas is one of the most anticipated games of the year. Everyone wants to see CC face off with Paige Bueckers, but that's now in jeopardy

Clark vs. Bueckers is what everyone wants to see

Clark has missed a total of six games this season already. The Fever are 2-4 without her after last night's fourth quarter collapse. Indiana has had too many of those recently, and Stephanie White is getting called out by the fans because of it. The Wings are 12th in the league with a 4-12 record, so this could be exactly what White's ball club needs to get back on track, but they'll have to take the game.

Dallas' coach, Chris Koclanes, is only in his first year in the role, and they brought in a bunch of new players. It seems that may have been the reason that they got off to such a slow start, but they've begun to turn it around similarly to how this team did in Clark's rookie season. Everyone had to adjust to the new dynamic, get to know each other, and when that happened, the Fever took off and made the playoffs.

The Wings are 3-1 in their last four games, with their most recent win coming against one of the best teams in the league: the Atlanta Dream. Not only did they pull out a win against a top-four seed, but they also beat them by 13 points (68-55).

The Fever, on the other hand, have struggled recently, whether Clark is in the lineup or not. They've gone 2-3 in their last five games, and two of those losses were by double-digits. If they want to get back on track, they're going to have to find a way to take advantage of their mismatches when they get them.

Recently, getting the ball to Aliyah Boston at the right time has been a problem that must be fixed. CC can't be the only one who knows how to do that. Arike Ogunbowale doesn't need anyone to feed her, and she's been on fire lately, averaging 20 points in her last five games. That's seventh in the W. Meanwhile, Bueckers is averaging 17 points on 45% from the floor.

Clark can counteract all of that with her scoring in passing, but first, she needs to play. Second, she needs to break out of her slump. Now would be the perfect time for it. Her team needs it, and we all want to see fireworks with Paige on the other side.