Indiana Fever get first win of season, like and dislikes from victory over LA Sparks

MY OFFICE, Ind. – The Indiana Fever's first road game of the season, and first game with Bree Hall on the roster, was Wednesday night in Los Angeles. There was a lot for the Fever to like and dislike in their opener, but the defense wasn't close to good enough.

The Fever knew it, though, and were hoping for a better outing against a new-look Los Angeles Sparks team. With Monique Billings back, the Fever had their full roster available as they chased their first win.

"I expect Mo to do what she does best," Fever head coach Stephanie White said pregame of Billings' return.

Circle City Spin

The Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever, up close

Circle City SpinTony East

Likes and dislikes from the Fever's first road game of 2026:

LIKE: Caitlin Clark, aggressive early

There were, rightly, questions about Clark and her back after the season opener. She went into the tunnels of Gainbridge Fieldhouse multiple times to have her back adjusted but said she felt good postgame.

Clark told reporters in Los Angeles that she felt "really good." It showed it to start the game. Aggressive drives toward the rim made her psyche clear. She was forceful, and the results were there.

Halfway through the first quarter, the Fever were ahead. Clark had seven points and three assists already, plus some steals. That works. She looked great to start the game.

LIKE: Ty Harris' first quarter minutes

Harris played about as many minutes in the first quarter of Fever-Sparks as she did in the Fever's season opener. She hit a three, then linked up with Damiris Dantas for a pick-and-pop triple.

The Fever played Harris' first-quarter minutes to an even draw. That's about what the bench group did early vs Dallas, so the results were similar. But Harris, specifically, felt more impactful in her second game after a long recovery from injury.

DISLIKE: Back to the monitor

I'm all for getting calls right, and officials have new focuses in the WNBA this season. That's all great. Better officiating has been a need for years for the league, and something every franchise hoped for.

This game had too many reviews in the first 25 or so minutes. The Fever are a flow team, so choppy outings filled with whistles are harder for them. That was an understated problem in their season opener with 50+ fouls.

Again, correct calls are great. But this was a lot, particularly early in the third quarter, and there was another review to end that period.

LIKE: Monique Billings on the boards

Billings was praised for her athleticism often during training camp but didn't get a chance to show it during the home opener. She was out due to an ankle injury, so Wednesday was her Fever debut.

To me, that athleticism was most apparent when fighting for rebounds. Billings, a California native, crashed the glass without fear and did so between defenders. She had three rebounds at halftime and made all of her shots in the opening two quarters, then grabbed two more boards early in the third quarter.

Billings was clearly adding value on defense, too – which was important against a bigger Sparks team. Her first 25 Fever minutes were promising.

DISLIKE: Aliyah Boston's uninvolvement

White said pregame that Boston had a minutes limit between 25 and 30. That means she's still hurt, at least to some extent. She missed time in the preseason with a lower leg injury.

That said, she wasn't involved to an extent that felt odd. Boston had just two shot attempts through three quarters, plus just two assists. All four of her points came from the foul line at the time.

The Sparks defense made life easy for perimeter players – Sophie Cunningham, Kelsey Mitchell, and Clark had almost as many points as the entire Sparks team early in the fourth quarter. The Fever didn't need to play through Boston in the slightest, and she was restricted with minutes. But her lack of offensive interaction was noteworthy, and she later fouled out.

LIKE: Defensive improvement

The Fever gave up 60 points in the first half against Dallas on Saturday. They allowed just 52 through three quarters on Wednesday. Billings' return, a talent difference between the Wings and Sparks, and better defensive connection all came together to make the Fever's defense look much better in game two.

Even as the Fever's offense got a bit more stagnant and slow – strategically with a lead – late, their defense from the first three quarters of the game gave them a big enough buffer to hold an edge. An 11-3 Sparks run was damaging, but not enough for a full comeback.

The Fever's defense was guiding, and their offense remained solid. Overall, they didn't even really play that well but mostly rolled to a win, their first of the season. The final score: Fever 87, Sparks 78. The Fever are 1-1.

"Overall, proud of our fight," Clark said on the broadcast postgame. She was proud of the Fever allowing just 78 points and finished with 24 points and nine assists herself.

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