Caitlin Clark's triple-double leads Fever past Sky in opener - ESPN

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Fever started their season Saturday with a blowout victory over the Chicago Sky, a triple-double from Caitlin Clark, a career milestone for Fever newcomer DeWanna Bonner and a kerfuffle between Clark and the Sky's Angel Reese. Talk about a full opening day.

Gainbridge Fieldhouse was packed with 17,274 fans to see the Fever defeat the Sky 93-58, tying for the second-largest margin of victory in franchise history. Clark, last season's rookie of the year and an All-WNBA first-team selection, got her third triple-double as a WNBA player after 17 in college at Iowa. She had 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, plus 4 blocks.

Still, a lot attention will go to a sequence in the third quarter. Clark, looking to stop Reese from getting a wide-open layup, tried to strip her of the ball and was called for a foul. Reese fell to the floor and then got up to go after Clark, who walked away.

Indiana's Aliyah Boston, attempting to keep the two players apart, picked up a technical, which she didn't know about until after the game when asked about it by media.

Boston, who finished with 19 points, 13 rebounds and 5 blocks, then expressed astonishment about the technical. Clark told her, «I got it for you, don't worry,» about the $200 fine.

As for the incident overall — Clark's foul was upgraded to a flagrant 1 — she said she was making a play on the ball, which replays showed.

«Let's not make it anything that it's not,» Clark said. «I'm not sure what the refs saw to upgrade it; that's up to their discretion after watching the initial whatever happened during the play and whatever happened afterward.

»It's a take foul to put them at the free-throw line rather than give up two points. That's exactly what it was.