Injury report: Sparks’ Essence Carson will not play Saturday vs. Fever

Essence Carson will not play for the Los Angeles Sparks on Saturday against the Indiana Fever, the team announced. She suffered a pulled groin in the Sparks’ last game against the Mercury and is listed as day-to-day.

Los Angeles visits the Fever for a 7 p.m. ET tip. Indiana will retire Tamika Catchings’ jersey in a halftime ceremony during the game.

Riquna Williams will make her second start of the season, entering the lineup in Carson’s place.

Carson played just nine minutes last Sunday against Phoenix before suffering her injury. The 10th-year veteran is in her second season with the Sparks, and while her numbers aren’t eye-popping, she had been a steady hand in the lineup, scoring when necessary and rarely turning it over.

Los Angeles has won four straight games, with three of them coming at home. Saturday night’s game marks the beginning of a three-game road swing for the Sparks.