INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Fever collapsed late in the fourth quarter in an 85-75 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

The Fever dropped to 7-8 with the loss, and they will head on the road to play in Dallas on Friday.

Here are three observations:

Fever give up late lead in loss

Indiana led by eight points, 58-50, at the end of the third quarter. The Fever had been leading for most of the game, despite a poor shooting night, because of ample turnovers from the Sparks.

But the Sparks cleaned it up in the fourth; they didn’t turn the ball over once. Los Angeles started the fourth quarter on a 19-8 run, taking the lead for the first time in the second half.

Indiana had chances to get back into the game, tying it again on multiple instances. But small mistakes doomed the Fever in the final minutes of game.

Los Angeles was leading by just two with a minute left when Rickea Jackson missed a layup. Dearica Hamby was able to grab the offensive rebound and put it back in the hoop, drawing a foul from Sophie Cunningham in the process. Hamby missed the free throw, but Azura Stevens grabbed the rebound and put it back in herself. And drew a foul, again.

Stevens made her free throw, and the Sparks had a five-point swing in one sequence.

Caitlin Clark misses game with new injury

Caitlin Clark was a late add to the injury report on Thursday, ruled out with a left groin injury. This injury is new to Clark, who had previously missed five games with a left quad strain.

Fever coach Stephanie White said Clark reported pain after they got back to Indianapolis from their seven-day West Coast road trip, and she got an MRI on her groin. White did not specify if the MRI revealed a strain, but said she was “day-to-day.”

Clark had struggled in the Fever’s West Coast trip, going 1-of-23 from 3 over those three games. She had zero 3-pointers in two of the three games for the first time in her professional career.

The Fever are on the first night of a home-and-away back-to-back, as they will head to Dallas for a game against 2025 No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers and the Wings on Friday.

Fever, Sparks each struggle in first half

Indiana shot 29.7% from the field in the first half. Somehow, the Fever were still winning.

Both the Sparks the Fever struggled throughout the first half. Los Angeles went nine minutes without a field goal spanning from the two-minute mark of the first quarter to the four-minute mark of the second.

Indiana, throughout the first 20 minutes, went 11-of-37 from the field. The difference, really, came in the Fever’s staunch defense.

Indiana forced 15 turnovers in the first half, allowing the Fever to take 10 more shots than Los Angeles. Fever guard Sophie Cunningham and center Aliyah Boston led that charge, each stealing the ball four times.

Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at [email protected] or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter.