Caitlin Clark and Indiana Fever overwhelm Sparks, who drop their second straight game
The Sparks vowed to improve their defense, but they couldn't keep pace with Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever while giving up 19 turnovers Wednesday.
Fever guard Caitlin Clark attempts a pass while falling to the court Sparks guard Erica Wheeler steps around her Wednesday at Crypto. com Arena. (Jae C.
Hong / Associated Press) Following the Sparks blowout loss to Las Vegas on Sunday, Nneka Ogwumike made a promise; on Wednesday, the defense would be better. Against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever, the Sparks ' defense fizzled in the first half and couldn't generate shooting consistency until it was far too late during an 87-78 loss at Crypto,com Arena , their second consecutive to start the season. Kelsey Plum scored 25 points and Dearica Hamby added 16 points and eight rebounds, but the Sparks were never really in it against the high-powered Fever.
The Sparks finished with 19 turnovers, which the Fever (1-1) converted into 24 points. Read more: 'They punched us in the face. ' Sparks can't keep pace with Aces in season-opening loss The first quarter was a track meet.
Indiana shot 53% and the Sparks went 47% from the floor, even with Cameron Brink’s monster block on Clark . Indiana extended an 11-point lead midway through the second quarter. By halftime, it was a 14-point deficit for the Sparks.