Sparks blow lead, fall to Fever in Caitlin Clark’s Crypto.com Arena debut

LOS ANGELES — Dearica Hamby had an 18-point double-double and rookie forward Rickea Jackson had a career-high 16 points off the bench, but the Sparks could not overcome two late 3-pointers by Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark and suffered a 78-73 loss on Friday night in front of a Sparks record crowd of 19,103 at Crypto.com Arena.

Sparks rookie forward Cameron Brink added a career-high 15 points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots. Hamby added 12 rebounds and seven assists.

Clark had her first WNBA double-double with 11 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, though she missed missed her first seven 3-point attempts before making one with 2:27 left, triggering an explosion of cheers and applause. Kelsey Mitchell led Indiana (1-5) with 18 points and Aliyah Boston and Temi Fagbenle each had 17 points and six rebounds.

The Sparks (1-3) had an 11-point lead at halftime and still led 56-53 heading into the fourth quarter, but the Fever started the period on a 10-2 run for a 63-58 lead with 5:38 to go on a 3-pointer by Mitchell, who scored 13 of her 18 points in the fourth.

A nice assist from Brink for a cutting layup by Jackson pulled the Sparks with three 69-66 with 2:50 left, but Clark responded by draining her first 3-pointer of the game for a 72-66 lead with 2:27 remaining.

Brink’s 3-pointer cut the margin to 73-69, then Lexi Brown’s mid-range jump shot made it 73-71 with a minute left.

However, Clark drained a 28-foot 3-pointer to give the Fever a 76-71 lead with 40 seconds remaining and the crowd roared again. Sparks guard Kia Nurse then missed a 3-point attempt, and Indiana’s Mitchell made two free throws with 12.5 seconds to go. Hamby’s turnaround jumper made it 78-73 with five seconds left, but the Fever (1-5) ran out the remaining time to secure their first win of the season.

Boston, Fagbenle and Mitchell dominated the fourth quarter, with Mitchell hitting back-to-back 3-pointers.

Actors Jason Sudeikis and Rosie O’Donnell, NBA stars DeMar DeRozan and Klay Thompson, USC star JuJu Watkins along with teammate Rayah Marshall, Trojans coach Lindsay Gottlieb and women’s basketball great Cheryl Miller were part of the record crowd for the Sparks’ first game at Crypto.com Arena this season.

The Sparks played their first two home games at Long Beach State’s smaller-capacity Walter Pyramid, but with Clark and the Fever in town the game was moved to the downtown arena.

The Fever shot just 7 for 25 from 3-point range (Clark was 2 for 9). The Sparks also struggled from behind the arc, going 5 for 24. The teams meet again Tuesday in Indianapolis.

Before the game, Sparks coach Curt Miller was focused on slowing the Fever’s game plan, which was to score fast-break points.

“Everything starts with their tempo and pace,” Miller said. “Between Caitlin (Clark), Erica Wheeler, Kelsey Mitchell, just a team that’s really dedicated to playing fast, not only off of misses but off of makes, so our first eight seconds of the shot clock is going to be really important that we get them into their playbook and then you can start to scheme on how best to guard a team with a ton of weapons.”

Brink was effective early with six points and the Sparks took a 14-7 lead early with 4:56 left in the first quarter. Hamby had 10 points and five rebounds in the first.

The Sparks led 22-15 at the end of the first, and Jackson scored seven points in a 90-second span, which put her team up 36-25 with 3:42 to before halftime.

The Sparks led 45-34 at halftime. Hamby had 16 points, six rebounds and five assists in the first half. The Sparks bench scored 16 points in the first half after only nine points in Tuesday’s 70-68 win against Washington. Brink and Jackson each had three personal fouls in the first half.

Clark had five points on 2-for-7 shooting from the field in the first half.

The Fever opened the second half on an 11-0 run and tied the score with six minutes remaining in the third quarter.

“Control what we can control is what I’ve just tried to preach,” Indiana coach Christie Sides said before the game.

Jackson’s 3-pointer put the Sparks back up 48-45. Fagbenle’s five-point outburst with a reverse layup and 3-pointer put the Fever ahead 50-48. The Sparks scored six straight points on baskets by guard Aari McDonald, Jackson and McDonald to regain the lead late in the third.

The historic nature of the No. 1 pick (Clark) vs. the No. 2 (Brink) and No. 4 pick (Jackson) was not lost on Clark’s coach.

“The youth movement is incredible, it’s really fun,” Sides continued. “These guys have brought so much attention to our league.”

The Sparks next host the Dallas Wings on Sunday at 6 p.m. at Crypto.com Arena.