Caitlin Clark out as Fever face Mercury in unfriendly rivalry

The Phoenix Mercury host the Indiana Fever on Thursday in the third matchup in 17 days between the teams, and the first since a testy affair on June 24.

A 111-109 win for Phoenix (8-14) in that previous meeting came at a price, with Alyssa Thomas issued a one-game suspension in the aftermath of an exchange with the Fever's Caitlin Clark.

Thomas pressed down on the throat of a laid-out Clark, and while it didn't result in a foul called on the court, the suspension was handed down upon league review. In that game, Clark also sustained a back injury that sidelined her for two games.

"That should've never been done. You don't put your hand on someone's throat," Clark's Fever teammate Aliyah Boston said on the Wednesday episode of her Post Moves podcast. "Obviously, [the league suspending Thomas] was the right call."

Thomas, whose 8.3 assists per game lead the WNBA, missed Phoenix's 89-80 win at Toronto on June 27, the second in a three-game winning streak for the Mercury that ended their last time out. Phoenix dropped a 77-66 decision on Tuesday against Chicago in the Mercury's second contest of a three-game homestand.

Despite the loss, Tuesday's outing was noteworthy for Phoenix as veteran forward DeWanna Bonner eclipsed 8,000 career points. Bonner joined Diana Taurasi and Tina Charles as the only players in WNBA history to reach the milestone.

"It's a hell of an accomplishment," Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts said. "She's helped set the standard for what the Mercury stands for. She's done it for a long time and been the ultimate professional for the last year and a half since she's been with us."

Bonner is averaging 9.0 points per game this season, making her one of five Phoenix scorers averaging at least nine behind team leader Kahleah Copper. Copper's 20.8 points per game are fourth-most in the league, not far behind Indiana's Kelsey Mitchell (22.2).

Mitchell bumped her average up with a 29-point effort on Wednesday, but it was not enough in a 106-92 loss at the Los Angeles Sparks.

The defeat marked Clark's return to the lineup in the second stop of the Fever's current, four-game road swing. Clark finished with nine points on 4-of-12 shooting from the floor, four rebounds and three assists while playing just 15:39.

Indiana coach Stephanie White told reporters before Wednesday's leg of a back-to-back that Clark will sit on Thursday. As for Boston, the Fever (12-9) were without their leading interior presence on Wednesday. Boston was a late scratch from the lineup in Los Angeles due to a lower right leg injury.

Her availability for Thursday was unknown. The Fever had not submitted an injury report as of 10 a.m. ET.

"That's a big one," White said of playing without Boston. "Because she's our anchor, she's our communicator, she's our rim-protector."

--Field Level Media