Fever destroy Sparks to get back on track, Likes and (no) Dislikes

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Fever were playing without Caitlin Clark for the second time this season on Saturday night as they hosted the Los Angeles Sparks. The Fever were hoping to bounce back from a dramatic loss against the Mercury on Wednesday while the Sparks were looking to find any footing.

Los Angeles is without Kelsey Plum and Cameron Brink, which puts them low on both depth and star power. The Fever were certainly more talented on paper, but they've lost a few times in that situation this season.

They had to prove themselves in this outing. Likes and Dislikes from Fever vs Sparks.

Circle City Spin

The Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever, up close

Circle City SpinTony East

LIKE: Ty Harris made a three

Ty Harris started at point guard with Clark out, exactly what the Fever did the first time Clark missed a game. Raven Johnson stayed with the second unit.

Harris' minutes have been low all season, and her inefficiency is a major factor. She's a trusted vet, but entering Saturday night she was 2/20 from deep and sat at 27.3% on all shots. Her season high entering this game was seven points.

So it was great news for the Fever that Harris drilled her first three-point shot of the game, then finished an and-one a few possessions later. She scored six points quickly.

Harris tied her season high with seven points in less than six minutes to open the game. It was the exact start she needed.

LIKE: Easy early offense

The Fever started the game 8/12 from the field, and they grabbed an offensive rebound on three of those four misses. That means they scored on eight of their first nine possessions, which allowed them to jump out to a 19-11 lead.

It wasn't all pretty for the first-quarter Fever. Their eight-point edge shrunk in a hurry. But their fast start kept them in the lead for much of the first frame even as their consistency faded.

After one quarter: Fever 27, Sparks 21.

LIKE: Adorable moments

The Fever surprised Judy, a veteran usher in Gainbridge Fieldhouse, during the break between the first and second quarter. Her son, a military member, returned – the two saw each other for the first time in about seven years:

LIKE: Rolling to start the second quarter

Four for four on likes vs dislikes so far, but the Fever were up 14 after 12.5 minutes. That's because they started the second quarter on a 12-4 run that took about 2.5 minutes.

The bench minutes were strong. Monique Billings was getting some playing time as the de facto backup five with much success, and the flanking guards and wings were punishing the basket.

Harris crossed her season high in points during this stretch. As usual, the Fever were being led by their (available) stars in Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston, but several role players were impacting the game in a major way.

LIKE: Everything clicking

The Fever outscored the Sparks in the second quarter 30-16. They were dominating the game in just about every manner, turning defense into offense and getting solid nights from specialists.

Boston (9 points) and Mitchell (6) nearly equaled the Sparks entire team in points during the frame (16). The Fever dominated the glass, kept their turnovers down, and were perfect from the foul line. The little things and the big things merged well.

That gave them a 57-37 lead at halftime. Yes – they were on pace for a 40-point win. All likes so far feels justified.

LIKE: Season debuts

The Fever were winning by so much (26 with about two minutes to go in the third quarter) that they were able to turn to their reserves much earlier than a normal game. And at that time, Bree Hall checked in for her season debut.

It was just the second time this season that Hall was active and the first time she played. Last year, she got a few appearances down the stretch for the Fever.

Hall, late in the third quarter, drilled a corner three for her first regular season points for the franchise ever. It was right in front of the team's bench, and her teammates had a big celebration.

That shot extended the Fever's lead, and they were ahead 89-58 after three quarters. They were so, so dominant through three quarters.

LIKE: Point Myisha Hines-Allen

Myisha Hines-Allen had several "where did that come from?" plays in this game. A powerful drive to the basket here, a finesse bit of handles there. She looked impressive.

One of her better plays was a guard-like pass from the top of the key to a cutting Lexie Hull under the basket. It was a dime through the Sparks defense, and Harris instantly stole an inbounds pass after the made basket.

The Fever were making several energy plays, and Hines-Allen was leading the charge. She finished with seven points and three assists in just nine total minutes of action.

LIKE: Time for the youth

The Fever crushed the Sparks so bad that there are no dislikes in this story. Solid-enough defense combined with buzzsaw level offense for a dominant outing from start to finish.

That also meant the Fever got to put some of their young players on the court for several minutes to close the game. Hall, Grace VanSlooten, Johnson, Makayla Timpson, and Damiris Dantas was the lineup down the stretch.

VanSlooten had a few nice plays and hit multiple shots. Hall was productive. Johnson had some clean assists. It was some earned development time for the Fever youth group, and Dantas got some rare court action.

The Fever's lead was, at times, in the mid 3os. In the end, it was 24. The final score was 111-87, and the Fever improved to 11-8 with the win. It's the 26th win in franchise history by 24-plus points.

Thank you for reading. The Fever don't play for 10 days after this game, so there will be non-game stories for you across the next week (plus Pacers free agency updates and news). Sign up to not miss any of it.