INDIANAPOLIS -- The wait is over, and Caitlin Clark didn’t ease back into action.
Caitlin Clark made her long-awaited return to action for the Indiana Fever after an injury-riddled 2025 season. Clark only appeared in 13 games for the Fever last year, but she made her return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse in front of a packed crowd ready to see a healthy Indiana Fever team. However, the Fever, even with their healthy big three of Clark, Aliyah Boston, and Kelsey Mitchell, didn’t do enough to win the season opener, losing 107-104 in a tight matchup against the Dallas Wings.
Clark added 20 points in her first regular-season game since July 15, 2025. However, it wasn’t a great shooting night from the guard, as she went 7-for-18 from the field.
Saturday's game featured four former No. 1 overall picks. The duo of Aliyah Boston (2023) and Caitlin Clark (2024) went head-to-head against the package of Paige Bueckers (2025) and Azzi Fudd (2026) from the Dallas Wings.
The Fever and the Wings spent a large majority of the first 20 minutes jockeying back and forth. It was the Dallas Wings who went into the half up 60-51. The first half was exciting for fans in attendance, who hoped to see the newest WNBA draft class make their rookie debuts. Fudd was relatively quiet in her WNBA debut, notching only three points while playing just north of 17 minutes. It was also the much-anticipated debut of Raven Johnson, the 10th overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft for the Indiana Fever. Johnson, a two-time national champion at South Carolina, was drafted with the intention of being one of the league's best backup point guards and lockdown defenders.
Caitlin Clark started the second half with back-to-back deep 3-point shots that shifted the momentum back in favor of the Indiana Fever and cut the deficit to only two.
But it was Paige Bueckers who pushed the Wings to their first win, scoring 20 points. Bueckers, in her second year, continued the momentum from last season, shooting 80% from the field. The reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year did enough to secure a season-opening win alongside former Notre Dame guard Arike Ogunbowale, who returned to the state of Indiana to a roar of applause. She led scoring at the half for the Wings with 13 points, but later added 11 more in the second half, scoring a team-high 22 points.
Clark scored her 1,000th WNBA point in the second half, becoming the newest member of the club after only 54 games. Clark becomes the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 1,000 points, 250 assists and 250 rebounds, and the eighth fastest to reach 1,000 points in history. The third quarter ended tied at 80, with the ballgame in the air.
Clark briefly left the game in the third quarter, but later returned in the fourth quarter with no visible discomfort.
“Just getting my back adjusted. It gets out of line pretty quickly," Clark said postgame. “But other than that, feel great.”Fever Head Coach Stephanie White was not concerned. “She wouldn't have played 30 minutes if she were hurt.”
Again, for the Fever, it was Ms. Consistent, Kelsey Mitchell, who showed up when it mattered this afternoon. Mitchell, who is heading into her ninth season in the WNBA, had 15 points at the half. Mitchell continued to dominate in the second half, leading all scoring with 30 points.
“I'm rocking and rolling,” Mitchell said postgame. “As long as we're going to do this, I'm rocking and rolling.”
Aliyah Boston had a quiet first quarter down low for the Fever. However, the fourth-year center exploded in the second quarter, adding 12 points to her eventual 23 for the Fever.
The Wings held a one-point lead with 1:32 left to play. After leading for the large majority of the game, the Fever fans were able to shake the Gainbridge Fieldhouse floor purely responding to the Fever's momentum.
The 104 points were the most the Fever have scored in a season opener in franchise history.
Mitchell's 3-point attempt to tie the game rimmed out with 1.3 seconds on the clock. The Fever's season opener was over.
However, it was too little too late.
Top Performers:
INDIANA FEVER
Kelsey Mitchell 30 PTS | 4 AST | 3 REB
Aliyah Boston 23 PTS | 3 AST | 4 REB
Caitlin Clark 20 PTS | 7 AST | 5 REB
DALLAS WINGS
Arike Ogunbowale 22 PTS | 5 AST | 1 REB
Paige Bueckers 20 PTS | 4 AST | 3 REB
Odyessy Sims 20 PTS | 2 AST | 2 REB
The Fever will return to action on Wednesday, traveling to Los Angeles to face Kelsey Plum and the Los Angeles Sparks.
