On the heels of their Commissioner\u2019s Cup championship victory over the Minnesota Lynx and 81-54 rout over the Las Vegas Aces, the Indiana Fever welcome the Los Angeles Sparks back to Indianapolis on Saturday.<\/p>\n
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Even without Caitlin Clark, who will miss her fifth straight game, the Fever have proven capable of winning big games. They\u2019ve gone 3-1 since Clark was recently sidelined with a groin strain. But that one loss was to the purple and gold, just over a week ago. Can Los Angeles pull off another shocker on the road?.<\/p>\n
Indiana held a narrow lead over Los Angeles for most of their latest tilt before the Sparks used a 26-9 run over the final 5:58 to secure the come-from-behind win. Azur\u00e1 Stevens and Kelsey Plum combined for 26 points in the fourth quarter alone, while the Fever struggled to close out their opponent with Clark in street clothes on the bench.<\/p>\n
Still, this Indiana team has been defined by their resilience. Aliyah Boston, Kelsey Mitchell and Natasha Howard have all risen to the occasion in Clark\u2019s absence, while former Los Angeles guard Aari McDonald has stayed ready and played a vital role despite being signed, then cut, then signed by the Fever \u2014 all in the span of about three weeks.<\/p>\n
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Meanwhile, the Sparks remain in a period of transition. They\u2019ve nearly matched last season\u2019s win total and have fared far better on offense thanks to the addition of Plum and emergence of Stevens, but it\u2019s clear that this group still has some ground to make up before the franchise can return to its winning ways.<\/p>\n
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With that said, Los Angeles deserves recognition for refusing to back down against the league\u2019s elite. We\u2019ve seen this team go down to the wire with the Phoenix Mercury and pull off upsets over the Las Vegas Aces and Fever \u2014 both on the road, no less \u2014 so they aren\u2019t to be taken lightly. When they\u2019re on from 3-point range, they can compete with anybody.<\/p>\n
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It\u2019s worth keeping a close eye on Julie Vanloo, as well. The Sparks picked up the Belgian guard after she was surprisingly cut by the Golden State Valkyries. She\u2019s struggled with her shot this season, but she\u2019s as pure a playmaker as they come, which Los Angeles (eighth in assists) could certainly use.<\/p>\n
This is the final time this season we\u2019ll see the Sparks and Fever take the floor in Indianapolis. They\u2019ll meet two more times at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Aug. 5 and 29.<\/p>\n
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