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Caitlin Clark leads Fever to first win with two clutch 3-pointers in final minutes, incredible playmaking

Clark finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and four steals

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As the clock ticked toward two minutes to play on Friday night, the Indiana Fever were clinging to a three-point lead and Caitlin Clark was mired in the worst shooting performance of her young career. No bother. Clark, as she so often has been, was ready for the moment.

She took a hand-off from Kristy Wallace, sized up Kia Nurse and buried a 3-pointer in the veteran’s face from 30 feet.

A few possessions later, the Fever’s lead had been cut to two when Clark again got ball up top, made light work of Nurse and drained a deep 3 to seal the game with less than a minute to play.

Thanks to Clark’s heroics, the Fever secured their first win of the season, 78-73, over the Los Angeles Sparks in a battle of top draft picks. In Clark and Aliyah Boston, the Fever had the last two No. 1 overall picks, while the Sparks boasted both Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson, the Nos. 2 and 4 picks in this year’s draft, respectively.

All four youngsters put on a show, which bodes well for the future of the league. Brink went for 15 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks. She also showed off her defensive prowess. Jackson came off the bench to drop 16 points on a highly efficient 5-of-7 from the field. Meanwhile, Boston played her best game of the season and finished with 17 points and six rebounds.

It was Clark, though, who stole the show. She did so not just with her clutch shot-making late, but with her brilliant playmaking all game. Her final line was 11 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists on 4-of-14 from the field. She also chipped in four steals. Clark probably should have had her first triple-double given some of the passes she was throwing.

“Yeah, I thought I honestly played a really good game,” Clark said. “Some nights the shot’s gonna fall, some nights it’s not. I stayed in it, I found my teammates that were open, rebounded the ball well, was active on defense and I made some big shots when we needed it. I’m proud of myself.”

She was particularly sharp in transition, where she was connecting on hit-ahead passes time and again to create easy opportunities for her teammates. This one, where she led Temi Fagbenle to the rim in the middle of the second quarter was smooth.

But the best of the bunch came a few minutes later when she threaded the needle to Wallace under the basket for a layup.

The 19,103 fans that came out to Crypto.com arena to see Clark, Boston, Brink and Jackson duel were rewarded with an exciting night. That was not only a sell-out, but a Sparks attendance record. Clark may have won this battle, but there will be plenty more to come. The league is in good hands, and the general public is recognizing the talent.

“How about this crowd and this environment,” Clark said. “Absolutely incredible for women’s basketball. How lucky are we that we get to play in these type of environments. Shout out to all the fans that came.”

Clark and the Fever will try to make it two in a row Saturday night at the reigning WNBA champions Las Vegas Aces.