Caitlin Clark’s deep 3-pointer buried the Sparks, giving the Fever its first win

LOS ANGELES – For nearly 38 minutes, all Caitlin Clark can do is miss.

That wasn’t what the record-breaking, sellout crowd, dotted with Clark jerseys at both Indiana fever color and Iowa nuances, have come to witness.

Clark scored only five points and watched with disappointment as all seven of her 3-point attempts were successful. Then there was 2:24 left in the game and the winless Fever had a three-point lead on the team Los Angeles SparksClark stepped back from the 3-point line — 33 feet to be exact — and eventually found the net.

“I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but I really think every shot I take is going to be successful,” Clark said. “Some nights are really great and some nights you struggle to shoot it a little bit, but I want to take those shots at the end of the game. I think that’s the mindset and the confidence you have to have about self.”

After an entire match of uncharacteristic misses from deep, Clark’s first appearance brought a familiar face as she flashed a knowing smile to the opposing crowd.

She’s not done yet.

With less than a minute left and the Fever now only increasing by two minutes, Clark jumped again, this time from 28 feet and took off. The No. 1 overall pick once again turned to the crowd with a grin and added a Michael Jordan-like shrug. The shot sealed one won 78-73giving Clark and the Fever their first win of the season.

“We were really close,” Fever coach Christie Sides said. “We’re just on standby.”

In a matchup between Clark and the No. 2 overall pick Cameron Brink, Clark will need every ounce of her confidence. Friday’s match was her worst as a professional, but what she lacked in scoring, Clark made up for in almost every other aspect of her game that.

“She hit some big shots but did everything we needed her to do,” Sides said. “She’s really focused on helping us, improving our defense. [end]. I’m really proud of her energy.”

Throughout much of the first half, Clark was confused by the Sparks’ defense, unable to get into a rhythm. The Fever went into the locker room with 11 points after shooting 39% from the field and 22% from 3.

But in the second half, Clark adjusted. She kept shooting and kept missing, but she also left her mark on the game by grabbing a team-high 10 rebounds, dishing out a team-high eight assists – including including a few eye-catching passes through tight windows – and stopping a four-high team from stealing.

Clark said after the game that, despite the 0-5 start, she had felt more comfortable in the past few games. She said it’s helpful to remind herself that “it’s not all about scoring” but how she can impact the game in other ways.

“I think I played a really good game other than that [shooting]”Whether I’m counter-attacking, looking for my teammates, I think I’m really proactive on defense, so I don’t let that bother me, and that’s something I really pride myself on,” Clark said. pride.”

If Clark found a way to make her presence felt on a night of mostly rest, it was her teammates who shouldered the scoring responsibility. Aliyah Boston shot 57% from long range and had 17 points, Kelsey Mitchell had a team-high 18 points, and Temi Fagbenle added 17 to the bench. Clark’s defense, along with the rest of the Fever’s efforts at tight end, held the Sparks to 11 points in the third quarter.

After the Fever erased the Sparks’ 11-point first-half lead with an 11-0 run, the game went back and forth as both teams battled to make runs and take the lead. As time dwindled in the fourth quarter and the lead grew again and again, it became clear that Clark’s passing, defense and rebounding were not enough. A win will require her to do what she does best, what the crowd is there to watch her do: score.

Clark said she knew it was only a matter of time before gunfire started falling.

“Honestly, I went to the bench after thinking, ‘I’m due, they have to come on,'” Clark said of her final two seconds. “I missed a lot throughout the game . It’s time for them to step in.”

With just two moments, Clark’s rough match suddenly became the highlight of his early career. As she greeted the Los Angeles crowd that stayed behind after the whistle to give her a standing ovation, the scene was a reminder that even though she was playing in a new league and for a new team, Clark can still put on a show.

“It’s been a whirlwind,” said Clark, now six games into her WNBA career. “This is my job, this is what I love to do, but I never want to lose the joy of playing basketball, and nights like tonight remind me why I love playing basketball.”