Rickea Jackson Quietly Surpasses Caitlin Clark While LA Sparks’ Playoff Hopes Fade vs Fever

Most eyes rarely wander past the top three when draft night rolls around. After the holy trinity, the rest are left to fight their way into memory. But this time, there’s a certain No. 4 making her own kind of noise in the W. And no, it’s not 2025’s Kiki Iriafen, with her headliner duo talks with Sonia Citron or her Rookie of the Year campaign. It’s 2024’s Rickea Jackson.

Way before she was wearing Sparks yellow, Jackson followed a path that never stayed still. She started at Mississippi State, then made the move to Tennessee, becoming a two-time First-Team All-SEC selection (2023, 2024). Long before that, in her home state of Michigan, she was already a winner. She led her team to three straight Class C state championships (2017, 2018, 2019). By the time Los Angeles pulled her in via trade with Seattle, Rickea Jackson had the résumé, the confidence, and the game. Her rookie year validated it all with a spot on the 2024 All-Rookie Team.

Still, there was Caitlin Clark, the revolution. The No. 1 pick who seemed to vacuum up all the oxygen in the room. Sure, Rickea Jackson played well (averaging 13.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.5 apg in 2024), but in the public’s eye, she played in the shadows until now. Against Caitlin Clark’s own Indiana Fever, Rickea Jackson changed that narrative. She became the first from the 2024 draft class (yes, before Clark herself, who’s at 983) to cross 1,000 regular-season career points.

Not just that, she also etched her name into Sparks history by becoming the fifth-fastest player in franchise history to do it. Her milestone came on a night when she chipped in 8 points, decent, but bittersweet. One more bucket, and the game might have gone to overtime. Instead, Los Angeles fell just short, 75-76, against a Caitlin Clark-less Fever. The narrow loss not only spoiled the chance at a season sweep over the Midwest heroes, but it also dimmed the Sparks’ faint playoff hopes. It is all now hinging on whether the Valkyries stumble tomorrow against the Mystics. Here’s how it went tonight-

Fever Spoils Rickea Jackson’s Milestone Night

Sure, the Sparks got off to a hot start. They built a quick seven-point lead with early scores from Kelsey Plum, Rickea Jackson, and Azurá Stevens. Dearica Hamby kept that cushion comfortable with a couple of strong finishes inside. Azura Stevens then got the crowd going by hitting back-to-back three-pointers. The team was in a good rhythm by the first timeout. Then, a late three from Rae Burrell helped them take a seven-point advantage into the second quarter.

However, Indiana wasn’t going away quietly. Aerial Powers gave them a much-needed boost off the bench by cutting into the deficit before halftime. Then, by the third quarter, Aliyah Boston started to take over. The Fever grabbed their first lead at 50-49 on a Lexie Hull jumper with 6:41 left in the period, which really shifted the momentum. From that point on, the game turned into a complete back-and-forth battle.

Aliyah Boston was a force all over the court. She finished with a game-high 22 points, 11 rebounds, and an astounding six steals. Former Spark player Odyssey Sims did damage against her old team with 21 points and six rebounds. It included scoring the final five points of the game. With under a minute to go, Azurá Stevens also hit one of two free throws to put Los Angeles ahead 75-74.

But after an offensive rebound from Boston, Sims powered in a layup to give Indiana the 76-75 edge with 13 seconds left. The Sparks still had opportunities. On their next possession, Boston stole a pass from Kelsey Plum, and even though Kelsey Mitchell missed two free throws. However, Los Angeles couldn’t get a shot off before the buzzer sounded. Stevens led the Sparks with 17 points, six rebounds, and five assists, while Burrell contributed 12 points off the bench.

Dearica Hamby added 11 points and seven boards, and Jackson, who reached the 1,000-point club earlier in the night, finished with eight. But that personal milestone was overshadowed by a tough loss that strengthened Indiana’s hold on the sixth seed and pushed L.A.’s playoff hopes to the brink…