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Fever's two wins without Caitlin Clark contain one startling truth

Nairavoice · Jun 28, 2026 · 2 min read

Fever’s two wins without Caitlin Clark contain one startling truth originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Indiana Fever is a good team with Caitlin Clark.

But without her, the Fever is downright dominant.

In 2025, Clark played only 13 games due to a series of soft tissue injuries. The Fever reached the WNBA semifinals anyway and came within one win of reaching the Finals for the first time in 11 years.

MORE: How long is Caitlin Clark out? Updated back injury return timeline for Fever star

Clark has been healthy for most of 2026, only missing two games as she managed lingering pain in her back.

But the Fever’s two games without her serve as arguably the team’s two best performances this season.

As Clark sat out Saturday’s win over the Los Angeles Sparks, the Fever coasted to a 111-87 victory at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The 111 points are the second-highest total of the season, just behind the 113 that the Fever put up against the Toronto Tempo on June 16.

Indiana shot 55 percent as a team, including 53 percent from 3-point range, and held Los Angeles to just 43 percent shooting from the field.

Fever in 2 games without Caitlin Clark this season:

W by 24
W by 17

…with an average of 80 points allowed/game. pic.twitter.com/HmDwrhPOLi

— Underdog WNBA (@UnderdogWNBA) June 28, 2026

Moreover, four Fever players scored in double digits, led by All-WNBA guard Kelsey Mitchell’s 26 points.

The win over the Sparks mirrored last month’s home win over the Portland Fire — the only other game without Clark — in a lot of ways.

In that 90-73 win, Indiana held Portland to under 44 percent shooting and just 19 percent from beyond the arc.

And offensively, the Fever had three players score in double-digits, with 21 of 28 field goals assisted.

With Clark back in the lineup this year, Indiana has had one of the league’s best offenses, but the Fever has struggled defensively.

But as the Fever demonstrated last season, they get along just fine when Clark is absent — which may open debate as to just how much on-court value the two-time All-Star will provide long-term as the countdown toward her maximum contract extension continues.