Caitlin Clark scores 30 points but Fever slump to seventh loss in eight games

Kia Nurse scored 22 points and Aari McDonald added a season-high 21 points to rally 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 victory of the season last weekend at Los Angeles, but neither Clark nor her teammates could recreate 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 draw in fans was in evidence again: the Fever played in front of a near sellout home crowd of 16,013. Those watching 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 in last month’s WNBA draft, Clark and forward Cameron Brink, and the league’s only one-win teams. Brink finished with three points, three rebounds and two assists.

There are mitigating factors for the Fever’s slump. They have had a tough schedule so far, with five of their eight games coming against the teams who finished in the top three last. They have also played eight games in 14 days, more than any other team – by way of comparison, last season’s champions, the Las Vegas Aces, have played only four games so far this campaign.

At times on Tuesday, the game was downright ugly. 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 created a wide range of emotions at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Fans leapt to their feet when she made a three-pointer from the right wing just 66 seconds into the game. She wowed fans with nifty passes, crafty steals and even two first-half blocks. She made Fever fans wince with three first-half turnovers 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 toward the free-throw line for a discussion between quarters.

“I think everybody’s physical with me. They get away with things, you know, probably other people don’t,” Clark said. “It’s tough, but it’s a very physical game. That’s just professional basketball.”