Indiana Fever star guard Caitlin Clark was quick to lavish her home fans with praise following the team’s dominant victory on Wednesday night over the Los Angeles Sparks.
WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark led the Indiana Fever (18-16) to yet another victory on Wednesday, comfortably downing the hapless Los Angeles Sparks (7-26) 93-86.
The Fever have won both five in a row at home and five and a row overall to climb closer to hosting the first round of the WNBA Playoffs. In fact, the team hasn’t lost at home since Indiana fell to the Washington Mystics on July 10.
Five of Indiana’s six remaining games come at home, including the next five in a row. On the season Caitlin Clark & company 10-5 at home compared to 8-11 on the road. Clark was quick to compliment the home fans at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in her postgame press conference.
“A lot of [fans] only get to see the Fever play one time,” Clark told reporters. “They spend a lot of money to come here and watch us and have fun with us. You want to give them a show every single time.”
“Honestly it’s a lot of fun, so don’t take that for granted because before we know it the season will be over. To get the homestand started on the right note is super important and to just continue to go one step at a time and continue to build that confidence, I feel like we’re playing really good inside this building.”
Clark’s words echo the famous quote of New York Yankees Hall of Fame outfielder Joe DiMaggio. The hard-nosed star of the 1930s and 1940 was once asked by a reporter why he always plays so hard. “Because there might have been somebody in the stands today who’d never seen my play before, and might never see me again,” DiMaggio said.
The Indiana fans cheered on Clark as she poured in 24 points on 8/17 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds and 10 assists, marking her second triple-double of the season. That stat line brings her averages in her impressive rookie season up to 18.7 points, a league-leading 8.4 assists, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.4 steals.
A strong August – Clark averaged 24.0 points, 8.5 assists, and 5.2 rebounds – helped her become the first rookie in league history to win WNBA Player of the Month. Clark’s teammates performed admirably alongside her. Former first-overall pick Aliyah Boston added 24 points and 14 points while Kelsey Mitchell fell just short of her customary 20 points, settling for 18 in the victory.
The Fever will continue their homestand when they host the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday, September 7. If the season were to end today, the two teams would face each other in the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs.
