Caitlin Clark, Fever bounce back from tough opening-night loss to beat Sparks

Atlanta DreamChicago SkyConnecticut SunDallas WingsGolden State ValkyriesIndiana FeverLas Vegas AcesLos Angeles SparksMinnesota LynxNew York LibertyPhoenix MercuryPortland FireSeattle StormToronto TempoWashington MysticsScores & ScheduleStandingsPodcastsNewsletterNo Offseason NewsletterWNBA Tip-Off Caitlin Clark had 24 points and nine assists in Indiana's 87-78 win in Los Angeles. Harry How / Getty Images Share articleThe Indiana Fever bounced back from their season-opening loss with a comfortable 87-78 road win over the Los Angeles Sparks Wednesday night. Led by Caitlin Clark’s 24 points and nine assists and Kelsey Mitchell’s 23 points, the Fever, who lost their opener to the Dallas Wings, avoided an 0-2 start to the season before returning to Indianapolis for a four-game homestand. Los Angeles cut the margin to single digits in the fourth quarter but never truly threatened to change the outcome despite Kelsey Plum’s 25 points. Indiana even survived a night when Aliyah Boston failed to hit a field goal for the first time in her career. Here is what we learned from the Fever’s win. Clark spoke pregame about the confidence she gained from the first game of the season when her back tightened up, but she was able to return and play eight more minutes. “It’s going to take me a little bit to really get over this mental hurdle of trusting my body,” Clark said after playing 30 minutes and running 4.6 miles against Dallas, per her team’s tracking metrics. Clark looked plenty comfortable on the court against the Sparks, despite wearing a wrap around her back during starting lineup introductions. She was getting to the basket easily to start, leading to a couple of runners to get her on the board. Her footwork was clean in the post, and she had a nice crossover past Rae Burrell. “I feel like my speed and my burst is back, and that helps me get downhill,” Clark said postgame. L.A. tried to target her on the other end, but she held up pretty well in isolation and was able to pick off a couple of passes to create transition scores. The 3-ball wasn’t exactly working for Clark, who hit just 1 of 7 attempts, but she was efficient inside the arc, making 8 of her 10 2-pointers. “My shot feels great, and I feel like it’s right there,” she said. “The best thing I can do for this team is play make.” Clark did have five turnovers, a couple of which happened when she simply miscommunicated with her new teammates. Overall, her offensive game looks to be on track, even if the opponent wasn’t the toughest test. The only credit coach Steph White would give her team’s defense was that it was better than in its first game, despite Clark’s protestations that if the Fever give up 78 points every night, they’ll win a lot of games. White said Indiana was a little too foul-happy and didn’t start the game defending ball screens well. She did appreciate the improvement in transition defense, with the Fever surrendering just 11 fast-break points as opposed to 25 against Dallas. Indiana forced L.A. into more midrange jumpers than 3-point shots, a huge defensive win. The Fever caused 19 turnovers and allowed only four offensive rebounds. The Sparks didn’t exactly make defending difficult for Indiana, but there were a lot of positive indicators for the Fever heading into Friday’s matchup against the Washington Mystics. Even as L.A. struggled to put together stops in the 2025 season, the promise of Lynne Roberts’ offensive system was clear. The Sparks were able to create high-quality shots at the rim and from beyond the arc and make teams work defensively, even if they gave it all back on the other end. That hasn’t been the case through the first two games of 2026. The defense is still below par, but the offense is, too. The ball isn’t moving for L.A., and that means the scoring is taking place in isolation instead of off assists. The Sparks had 13 assists on 28 made field goals, compared to 19 turnovers, and aren’t creating looks from beyond the arc. They only took 15 3-point attempts, a total that should be at least twice as high considering the kind of offense they’re running, and the shot distribution is a little awkward, with Nneka Ogwumike finishing with just five field-goal attempts compared to 16 for Plum and 10 for Burrell. It felt like an overcorrection from the opener against the Las Vegas Aces, when Burrell didn’t take a shot in the first half. There are new additions to the roster who aren’t familiar with Roberts’ system — she compared the growing pains to a teenage awkward phase — but the blemishes need to clear up soon for L.A. to accomplish its stated goal of making the postseason. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms