Caitlin Clark's second triple-double helps Fever to fifth consecutive win

Indiana Fever fans cheered when Caitlin Clark grabbed a rebound with 10.2 seconds left on Wednesday, capping the team's fifth straight win and giving Clark her second triple-double of the WNBA season.

She grabbed her 10th rebound in the final seconds of the 93-86 win over the Los Angeles Sparks, adding 10 assists and 24 points. Clark recorded the first triple-double by a WNBA rookie (19 points, 13 assists, 12 rebounds) in a win over the New York Liberty on July 6. She is the fifth WNBA player to record multiple triple-double games in a season.

Clark had 17 triple-doubles in her college career at Iowa and the Hawkeyes won all of those games.

Also on Wednesday, Clark made four three-pointers, bringing her total to 102 three-pointers this season. She is the fastest player in WNBA history to make 100 three-pointers, doing so in her 34th game.

Previously, Clark was named WNBA Rookie of the Month and Eastern Conference Player of the Month for August.

She smiled on the court Wednesday as she grabbed the final rebound and admitted afterward that she knew it was a triple-double because of the scoreboard. Her teammates and the 16,645 fans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse knew it right away, too.

“Every game she gets a little better,” said Indiana's Christie Sides, who was named WNBA Coach of the Month on Wednesday. “Every game she gets a little better [more] Understanding the speed and the quickness. I love talking to her about the game. She's playing really well…she had some great assists tonight.”

The Fever secured their first playoff spot since 2016 on Tuesday, thanks to losses to the Atlanta Dream and Chicago Sky. So Indiana entered a six-game home series with plenty of energy in the arena on Wednesday. The last-place Sparks battled throughout, but the Fever prevailed.

Like Clark, Aliyah Boston scored 24 points for Indiana and added 14 rebounds and four assists. It was Boston's 12th double-double of the season. Kelsey Mitchell added 18 points and NaLyssa Smith 13 for the Fever, who are now 18-16.

This is the first time the Fever have won at least five games in a row since they won six in a row during the 2015 season, when they reached the WNBA Finals before losing to the Minnesota Lynx. Indiana is now 7-1 since WNBA play resumed after the Olympic break. The Fever's only loss during this stretch was on Aug. 24 against Minnesota, Indiana's next opponent, Friday in Indianapolis.

Wednesday's game was Clark's third in a row with at least 20 points and 10 assists, tying her for the longest such streak with Courtney Vandersloot (for Chicago in 2017). Overall, Clark has seven games with at least 20 points and 10 assists, a WNBA single-season record and already third on the WNBA career list behind Vandersloot (10) and Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury (9).

Clark scored or contributed to 224 points during the Fever's five-game winning streak, another WNBA record. Taurasi previously set the mark with 220 points in 2006, her third season in the league.

“These are must-win games at home,” Clark said. “The more we win, the better positioned we are for the playoffs. These fans spend a lot of money to come here, watch us and have fun with us, so you want to put on a show for them every time we're here.”