Caitlin Clark leads Fever to first win

Caitlin Clark gave Indiana the control it lacked in its season opener, and the Fever turned that into their first victory of 2026 on May 13 in Los Angeles. Clark finished with 24 points and nine assists, Kelsey Mitchell added 23 points, and Indiana beat the Sparks 87-78 at Crypto.com Arena. The win moved the Fever to 1-1 after a season-opening loss to Dallas, while Los Angeles fell to 0-2. ### How did Indiana take hold of the game? Indiana built a 48-34 halftime lead behind 17 first-half points from Mitchell and 11 from Clark, according to the WNBA game recap. The Fever shot 56% for the game, and Mitchell went 7-for-9 from the field. The box score showed Indiana outscored Los Angeles 24-20 in the first quarter and 24-14 in the second. (wnba.com) That cushion held even after the Sparks won the fourth quarter 26-19. ### Which numbers best explain the Sparks’ problems? Los Angeles committed 19 turnovers, compared with 14 by Indiana, according to the official game summary. (wnba.com) The Sparks also gave up 24 points in the second quarter, their lowest-scoring stretch of the night on offense and the period in which Indiana opened separation. Kelsey Plum scored 25 points for Los Angeles, and Dearica Hamby added 16. (wnba.com) Cameron Brink finished with 11 points and three blocks, but the Sparks could not fully erase the halftime deficit. ### What did Clark do late to close it out? Clark’s first made 3-pointer came with 4:51 left in the fourth quarter and pushed Indiana’s lead to 78-63, the AP recap on WNBA.com said. (wnba.com) Los Angeles answered with an 11-3 run and got within 83-76 on a Plum shot in the lane with 1:23 remaining. With 33.2 seconds left, Clark found Mitchell on an inbounds pass for a layup that made it 85-76 after the Sparks had forced an Indiana turnover on the prior possession. (wnba.com) That sequence effectively ended the comeback bid. ### Why is Clark’s health still part of the story? ESPN reported in March that Clark was preparing for her U.S. national team debut after an eight-month injury layoff. (wnba.com) In that report, Clark said she had put in “so much work and so much time” to get her body healthy again after a 2025 season disrupted by injuries. ESPN’s season injury tracker said Clark appeared in 13 games in 2025 and was sidelined for 28 of 41 regular-season games by three separate injuries. The report said those included groin injuries and a bone bruise in her left ankle. ### Who else mattered for Indiana? Sophie Cunningham scored 12 points for Indiana, and Monique Billings had nine points and eight rebounds in her regular-season debut for the Fever. (espn.com) Myisha Hines-Allen also reached 500 career assists, according to the game recap. Aliyah Boston finished with four points and seven rebounds before fouling out with 3:32 left in the fourth quarter. (africa.espn.com) Indiana still held on because its backcourt scoring carried the offense for most of the night. ### What comes next on the schedule? Indiana’s next game is at home against Washington on May 15, according to ESPN’s 2026 schedule page and the WNBA recap. (wnba.com) Los Angeles begins a back-to-back set at Toronto on May 15.