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All eyes were on Caitlin Clark Wednesday night as she made her long-awaited return from injury in a road matchup in Los Angeles.
But instead of a triumphant comeback, the Fever spent the entire night chasing the Sparks as Clark's tough comeback fueled a 106-92 rout.
The superstar never found his rhythm and looked completely out of sync in his return from a back injury.
STEPHANIE WHITE GIVES AN UPDATE ON CAITLIN CLARK'S STATUS AHEAD OF FEVER-SPARKS, BUT HER NEXT MOVE RAISES QUESTIONS
Caitlin Clark reunites with her teammates as the Indiana Fever battle the Sparks. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) ((Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images))
Much of that disjointed performance falls squarely on head coach Stephanie White, who kept Clark under ridiculously tight control by limiting her to just 16 minutes. The stop-start approach could have sabotaged any chance of the phenomenon establishing a rhythm.
Clark finished with just 9 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. His minus-16 plus-minus told the story.
The Los Angeles Sparks were severely shorthanded and took the floor without stars Kelsey Plum and Cameron Brink.
MERCURY'S NOW DELETED SOCIAL MEDIA POST MOCKING CAITLIN CLARK ATTRACTS STUDY AFTER STAR'S INJURY
However, while a depleted Sparks roster played to win, Indiana spent the night overmanaging its biggest asset.
With Clark on a minutes restriction and Aliyah Boston out of the lineup, Kelsey Mitchell was forced to shoulder the entire offensive load.
Mitchell did his part, scoring 29 points and going 5 of 9 from beyond the arc.
Caitlin Clark orchestrates the Fever offense as Indiana battles the Los Angeles Sparks in primetime action. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) ((Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images))
But a hot hand couldn't stop an efficient Los Angeles team.
The Sparks shot 45% from three-point range, going 9 of 20 from deep in a 106-92 victory.
White's next move is to sit Clark against the Mercury on Thursday as Boston returns.
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After Wednesday's loss to a shorthanded Sparks team, it's fair to question whether Indiana's cautious approach is working. Fever dropped to 12-9.
Caitlin Clark and Dearica Hamby face off as Fever and Sparks battle at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. (Photo by Tyler Ross/NBAE via Getty Images) ((Photo by Tyler Ross/NBAE via Getty Images))
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