The top two picks of the 2024 WNBA Draft will reunite when the Indiana Fever host the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday night.
But one is struggling — and the other is unlikely to play.
Fever star Caitlin Clark is averaging 18.2 points, but has missed her last 13 shot attempts from 3-point range and comes off a season-low six points in the Fever’s win on Tuesday at Seattle.
Meanwhile, last year’s No. 2 overall pick Cameron Brink has yet to play for the Sparks this season while recovering from an ACL tear suffered in 2024.
No one in Indiana is worried about Clark yet, but she hasn’t made a 3-pointer in more than 66 minutes of game time. She is tied for the WNBA lead with 8.9 assists per game.
“She will be fine,” Fever guard Lexie Hull said about Clark’s shooting woes on Tuesday. “This happens to every team, every player.”
Indiana (7-7) had one of its most complete performances of the season in its 94-86 win over the Storm, highlighted by Aliyah Boston erupting for a career-high 31 points.
“She was on balance all of the time,” said Fever coach Stephanie White. “She does such a good job of facilitating for us, sometimes I think she misses opportunities to be a scorer.
“I thought she did a good job of making the right read and finding the right players. She was efficient and hustling for opportunities and we were getting her the ball in a timely manner.”
The Sparks (4-11) have lost four straight, including a disappointing 11-point defeat Tuesday night in Chicago. Los Angeles held a two-point lead entering the fourth quarter, but were outscored 30-17 in the final frame.
“We have to be able to get stops in the fourth quarter,” said first-year Sparks coach Lynne Roberts. “And I think offensively we got away from what was working, too much 1-on-1. We have to fix that and have some trust in the system and each other and make sure we are getting great shots down the stretch.”
The last report on Brink was that she started non-contract drills earlier this month — putting her on a timeline to return before the All-Star break that begins July 17.
While Los Angeles is led by Kelsey Plum’s 20.4 points and 5.4 assists per contest, the Sparks have allowed the third-most points in the WNBA at 87.3 per game.
Indiana made roster news Wednesday by releasing six-time WNBA All-Star DeWanna Bonner, who appeared in nine games for Indiana before leaving the team for personal reasons. The Fever re-signed guard Aari McDonald.
Indiana will be without reserve forward Damiris Dantas through July 8 while she competes for Brazil in the AmeriCup. She’s averaging 4.6 points in 12 minutes per game.
The Fever won two of three games from the Sparks last season.
–Field Level Media
