The Indiana Fever are 2-0 in Caitlin Clark’s absence this season. Their latest win without the superstar guard came against the Los Angeles Sparks on Saturday. Indiana won 111-87, recording another blowout result. In their previous game without Clark, on May 20 against the Portland Fire, the Fever won 90-73.
On both occasions, the Fever held their opponents to fewer than 90 points. Underdog WNBA pointed this out on X following Saturday’s game.
While some critics used these two results to claim that the Fever are better without Clark, fans of the superstar guard clapped back.
One fan pointed out that the Sparks had the worst defense and were also without Kelsey Plum, their best player and the second-highest scorer in the 2026 season, who is averaging 23.9 points.
“Pushing agendas for beating the worst defense without its best player. Have shame,” the fan wrote.
More reaction followed, with fans suggesting it’s not uncommon for teams to win without their best players. Some also pointed out the officiating and the strength of schedule.
How the Fever won without Caitlin Clark again
The Fever just had one of those nights. They jumped to a 19-11 lead in the first quarter. The Sparks bounced back, but Indiana stayed the course to take a 27-21 lead into the second.
Tyasha Harris, Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell shot a combined 7 of 9 from the field, scoring 19 points in the first frame. In the second quarter, the Fever blew the game wide open, outscoring their opponents 30-16. Boston was again in the thick of the action, scoring nine points on just two shot attempts. She was 4 of 4 from the free-throw line.
On the other end, the Fever limited Los Angeles to 33.3% shooting in the quarter. Without Kelsey Plum, Los Angeles had no juice to its offense as it watched the deficit balloon to 20. From there, it was a near-impossible task for the Sparks to bounce back.
The Fever had all the momentum, and they capitalized on it with a 32-21 stretch in the third. A 31-point lead to start the fourth allowed Stephanie White to rest her starters after a two-to-three-minute stretch.
Following an exceptional 13-point third quarter, Kelsey Mitchell led all scorers with 26 points on 9 of 13 shots, including 4-for-6 from three-point range. Aliyah Boston had 17 points, seven rebounds and three blocks, while Tyasha Harris and Monique Billings scored 15-plus points each.
The Fever have a break until July 5 when they face the Las Vegas Aces in a rematch of last year’s semifinals. They will hope Caitlin Clark returns for that clash, as it might not be easy for them to prevail in the star’s absence against the reigning champions.
Read more:
- Sophie Cunningham Sounds the Alarm on Worrying Caitlin Clark Trend After Alyssa Thomas’ “Cheap Shot” Play
- Analyst Compares Caitlin Clark And Paige Bueckers’ Technical Fouls That Met Different Fates
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