LOS ANGELES — Caitlin Clark scored 24 points and added nine assists Wednesday night as the Indiana Fever beat the Los Angeles Sparks 87-78, a win that kept Indiana from starting 0-2 after its loss to the Dallas Wings.
Kelsey Mitchell added 23 points for the Fever, who led most of the way and answered every Los Angeles push. The Sparks cut the margin to single digits in the fourth quarter, but Indiana never let them move in front.
Clark said before the game she was beginning to feel more confident after her back tightened up in the season opener, and that showed in a more efficient night. She played 30 minutes against Dallas and covered 4.6 miles by her team’s tracking metrics, then wore a wrap around her back during starting lineup introductions against the Sparks. Against Los Angeles, she made 8 of 10 two-point attempts and 1 of 7 from three-point range, though she also committed five turnovers.
Indiana’s defense helped cover for a rough night from Aliyah Boston, who did not make a field goal, and for stretches when the offense needed someone else to finish. The Fever forced 19 Los Angeles turnovers, allowed only four offensive rebounds and gave up 11 fast-break points, enough to blunt a Sparks attack led by Kelsey Plum’s 25 points. In the early part of the season, Los Angeles has leaned more on isolation than assists, and Indiana took advantage of that shape by making the game more about possessions than rhythm.
Clark said after the season-opening loss that it would take time to get over the mental hurdle of trusting her body, and Wednesday was a step in that direction. She said her speed and burst feel back, that her shot feels great, and that the best thing she can do for the team is play make. The Fever now head back to Indianapolis for a four-game homestand before facing the Washington Mystics on Friday, with the win in Los Angeles offering a clean reset after a shaky start.
