Caitlin Clark had 11 factors and 10 rebounds for her first WNBA double-double and the Indiana Fever beat Los Angeles 78-73 on Friday evening to snap a five-game season-opening skid in entrance of a house crowd. 19,103 Sparks document together with a number of. Hollywood stars.
“The first one feels actually good,” stated Clark, who additionally had eight assists.
Kelsey Mitchell led Indiana (1-5) with 18 factors and Aliyah Boston and Temi Fagbenle had 17 apiece.
Clark’s comeback was high notch. He missed his first seven 3-point makes an attempt, however lastly made one in every of his trademark deep 3s with 2:27 left within the sport, prompting a standing ovation. Superstar Clark and Iowa native Ashton Kutcher sit courtside.
“That’s my colleague Hawkeye, the one who supported me probably the most once I was in school,” he stated. “He was encouraging me the entire sport.”
The sport featured the youth and way forward for the WNBA, with No. 1 choose Clark enjoying No. 2 Cameron Brink and the Sparks’ Rickea Jackson.
“They have a big effect on our league,” stated Fever coach Christie Sides earlier than the sport.
Brink had 15 factors and 9 rebounds and Jackson added a game-high 16 factors off the bench for the Sparks (1-3). Dearica Hamby had 18 factors and 12 rebounds.
Jason Sudeikis, Rosie O’Donnell, Kathy Griffin, DeMar DeRozan of the Chicago Bulls, Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors, USC star JuJu Watkins, and teammate Rayah Marshall and coach Lindsay Gottlieb, had been among the many dwelling crowd that bought out for the Sparks. ‘ first sport at Crypto.com Arena this season.
“The crowd was completely wonderful, particularly there on the finish,” Clark stated. “They had been there, they had been planted.”
After trailing by 11 factors early within the sport, Boston, Fagbenle and Mitchell dominated the fourth quarter, with Mitchell hitting a three-pointer after one other.
Brink made a 3-pointer and Lexie Brown put the Sparks up 73-71. But Clark answered along with his second deep 3-pointer with about 40 seconds left and the gang roared once more as Indiana stayed forward, 76-71.
“They ought to have, like they need to have gone in,” stated Clark, who was 4-of-14 from the sector, 2-of-9 on three-point makes an attempt. “I missed loads in each sport.”
Fever was 7-of-25 from lengthy vary; the Sparks additionally struggled, going 5-of-24.
The Sparks performed their first two dwelling video games in Long Beach, however with Clark and Fever on the town, the sport was moved to downtown Los Angeles.
Trailing 45-34, the Fever opened the third quarter with a 16-3 run to take a 50-48 lead. Fagbenle and Boston mixed for all of Indiana’s factors, with Fagbenle’s 3-pointer hitting the excessive. Clark did not rating, however he got here up with an enormous steal in the midst of the sector, and after the miss, Boston scored.
“He was operating our offense. He’s studying his system, he is studying his gamers,” Sides stated of Clark. “He hit an enormous shot and did every thing we wanted him to do.”
The groups meet once more on Tuesday in Indianapolis.
It is reported by the Associated Press.
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