Kia Nurse scored 22 points and Aari McDonald added a season-high 21 points to lift the Los Angeles Sparks to an 88-82 victory over the Indiana Fever on Tuesday night, handing Caitlin Clark her third straight home loss.
Indiana earned their only win of the season last weekend in Los Angeles, but neither Clark nor her teammates could reproduce that finish.
Clark finished with a season-best 30 points, six assists, five rebounds, three blocks and three steals. She also made three three-pointers. Kelsey Mitchell had 15 points and Aliyah Boston fought through foul trouble to add 17 points and six rebounds for the Fever.
Clark’s ability to attract fans was again evident, with the Fever playing in front of a nearly sold-out home crowd of 16,013. Spectators included other local athletes including Tyrese Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard of the Indiana Pacers and former Indianapolis Colts receiver TY Hilton.
The game featured the top two picks from last month’s WNBA draft, Clark and forward Cameron Brink, and the only single-win teams in the league. Brink finished with three points, three rebounds and two assists.
“I think I just played with an aggressive mentality,” said Clark, whose 30 points were the third-most ever by a Fever rookie. “I think that was the most important thing: playing downhill as best as possible. We did some good things and then we kind of shot ourselves in the foot.”
Los Angeles (2-4) turned the game around with a decisive 28-8 run that turned a 55-48 third-quarter deficit into a 76-63 fourth-quarter lead. The fever (1-7) never recovered.
There are mitigating factors for the fever breakdown. They have had a tough schedule so far, with five of their eight games coming against the teams that finished last in the top three. They have also played eight games in a fortnight, more than any other team. By comparison, last season’s champions, the Las Vegas Aces, have played just four games so far this season.
Tuesday’s match was downright ugly at times. While the Fever shot just 38.2% from the field, the Sparks committed 19 turnovers while making a season-best 14 threes.
Clark’s presence and play stirred a wide range of emotions at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Fans jumped when she made a three-pointer from the right wing just 66 seconds into the game. She wowed the fans with nifty passes, smart steals and even two blocks in the first half. She left Fever fans wincing with three turnovers in the first half and when a frustrated Clark’ drew a technical foul with 2.7 seconds left in the first quarter, coach Christie Sides even pulled her star rookie to the free-throw line for a discussion between quarters.
“I think everyone is physical against me. They get away with things, you know, other people probably don’t,” Clark said. “It’s tough, but it’s a very physical match. That’s just professional basketball.”