Caitlin Clark’s injury return goes poorly in Fever loss to Sparks
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All eyes were on Caitlin Clark as she made her anticipated return from injury at a road meet in Los Angeles on Wednesday night.
But instead of a triumphant comeback, the Fever spent all night chasing the Sparks as Clark’s hard comeback fueled a 106-92 defeat.
The superstar never found his groove and looked completely out of tune in his return from a back injury.
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Caitlin Clark gathers with her teammates as the Indiana Fever battle the Sparks. (Photo: Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) ((Photo: Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images))
Much of the blame for this inconsistent performance falls on head coach Stephanie White, who kept Clark under ridiculously tight control by limiting her to just 16 minutes. A stop-start approach could have sabotaged the event’s chances of establishing a rhythm.
Clark finished the game with only 9 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Minus-16 plus-minus told the story.
The Los Angeles Sparks were seriously short-handed and took the field without stars Kelsey Plum and Cameron Brink.
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But while a depleted Sparks roster played to win, Indiana spent the night overmanaging its greatest asset.
With Clark on a minutes limit and Aliyah Boston out of the lineup, Kelsey Mitchell had to shoulder the entire offensive load.
Mitchell did his part and scored 29 points on 5-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc.
Caitlin Clark leads the Fever offense as Indiana battles the Los Angeles Sparks in prime time action. (Photo: Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) ((Photo: Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images))
But a hot hand couldn’t stop an influential Los Angeles team.
The Sparks shot 45% from three-point range and went 9-of-20 from deep to win 106-92.
White’s next move will be to seat Clark against the Mercury as Boston returns on Thursday.
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After Wednesday’s loss to the Sparks, it’s fair to question whether Indiana’s cautious approach is working. The fire dropped to 12-9.
Caitlin Clark and Dearica Hamby face off as the Fever and Sparks battle it out at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. (Photo: Tyler Ross/NBAE via Getty Images) ((Photo: Tyler Ross/NBAE via Getty Images))
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