With just over 10 seconds remaining in the Indiana Fever’s 93-86 win over the Los Angeles Sparks on Wednesday, Caitlin Clark grabbed a rebound and the Gainbridge Fieldhouse crowd erupted. The moment had nothing to do with the outcome of the game, but it had everything to do with Clark’s stat line.
That was Clark’s 10th rebound of the night, which secured the second triple-double of her career. No other rookie in WNBA history has ever accomplished the feat. Clark is the fifth player to record multiple triple-doubles in one season, and the youngest to do so. On the all-time triple-double leaderboard, she is already tied for fourth.
“Of course I knew,” Clark said when asked about the final rebound and the crowd’s reaction. “Somebody had to get the rebound. [Aliyah Boston] was joking, we always joke about stealing each other’s rebounds, so that was funny.”
Clark, who played all 40 minutes, finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. It wasn’t a perfect outing, as she also turned it over seven times due to some sloppy passing, but it was yet another reminder that the No. 1 overall pick is now extremely comfortable at this level.
The key stretch came early in the fourth quarter and was, of course, powered by Clark. After the Sparks had cut the deficit to one, Clark led a 7-0 run in response, capped by a brilliant behind-the-back pass in transition to Aliyah Boston for an and-one. While the Sparks briefly cut the deficit to three on a few occasions, the Fever were in control the rest of the way.
After beating the Sparks, the Fever (18-16) have won five games in a row, which is their longest winning streak since 2015, and are 7-1 since the Olympic break. Earlier this week, they clinched their first playoff berth since 2016, ending the longest active drought in the league. The seven-year gap without a postseason appearance was also tied for the longest in league history with the Chicago Sky, who missed out from 2006-2012.
“I’m just really happy for this organization,” Clark said. “Longest drought in WNBA history not making the playoffs. Look at these fans, they’re incredible. If it wasn’t for them, I don’t know if we’d be here.”
On a personal level, Clark also recorded her seventh career 20-point, 10-assist game, which is already the third-most in league history. Only Courtney Vandersloot (10) and Diana Taurasi (nine) have more, and those two have played 422 and 559 games, respectively. Clark has played 34.
