No one thought the Wings vs Indiana game in Gainbridge would turn into an absolute cinema. The game ended with a 104-107 loss for the Indiana Fever, but both Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers showed their excellence on the court while breaking records that no one saw coming.

NBC Sports reporter Khristina Williams said it became the first season-opening game in WNBA history where both teams scored more than 100 points.

Caitlin Clark did not have her best game against the Dallas Wings, but she still showed her potential on the court. She scored 20 points and added five rebounds and seven assists for Indiana. However, she struggled at times with her shooting and ball control. She shot only 38.9% from the field and committed five turnovers during the game.

On the other hand, Paige Bueckers finished with 20 points, three rebounds, and four assists. She also made 80% of her field goal attempts. But Caitlin Clark did make history during the game. She becomes the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 1,000 points, 250 rebounds, and 250 assists. She did all this in just 54 games and broke the previous record held by Diana Taurasi.

On top of it, let’s not forget that Bueckers entered the season in better condition than Clark. She spent the offseason playing in Unrivaled and did not deal with injuries. Clark, meanwhile, was returning after an injury-filled season and even left the court twice to have her back adjusted while wearing a supportive device on the bench.

But even after the loss, Caitlin Clark remained positive and explained her learnings after the game.

“Started a little slow, just the anxiety of the first game, trying to work through that,” Clark said. “But overall felt good, felt fast out there. Felt I was literally a couple buckets away from putting together a really good game and helping us win.”

Even with the positive attitude, what hurts the most is that Indiana had chances to make the score even. But Clark and her teammate couldn’t double down on it.

The Indiana Fever’s failed attempts to tie the match

Indiana had a great chance to tie the game in the final seconds against Dallas. The Fever were losing 107-104 when Caitlin Clark got an open three-point shot with about seven seconds left. Before shooting, she used a fake move that made Paige Bueckers jump past her. Clark then took the shot, but the ball hit the rim and did not go in.

Even after that miss, Indiana still got another opportunity. Paige Bueckers was fouled while trying to secure the rebound, but she missed both free throws with about 1.4 seconds remaining. Because of those missed free throws, the Fever got the ball back for one final play.

On the last possession, Dallas focused its defense on stopping Caitlin Clark from taking another shot. Because of that, Indiana passed the ball to Kelsey Mitchell instead. Mitchell quickly took a very long three-point shot as time expired, but her shot also bounced off the rim.

That was Indiana’s final chance to tie the game and send it into overtime, but the Fever could not make the shot, allowing Dallas to escape with the 107-104 win. However, that does deny the fact that Caitlin Clark is still a solid performer and is pretty much in the race to win the MVP title.

Can Caitlin Clark win MVP?

Caitlin Clark entered the 2026 WNBA season ranking either first or second in the MVP race, usually alongside or behind Las Vegas Aces superstar A’ja Wilson, who already won the award four times.

According to Yahoo Sports and BetMGM, Caitlin Clark started the season with MVP betting odds between +225 and +250, which placed her at or near the top of the list. This was especially impressive because she played only 13 games during the 2025 season after suffering a groin injury. The injury forced her to miss most of the year, but reports before the 2026 season said she returned fully healthy and ready to play again.

Look, a healthy Clark is a threat to all. Back in March 2026, when she came back healthy, she showed her excellence at the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers. She won the TISSOT MVP award. Clark led the entire tournament in assists with 6.4 per game, showing her excellent passing and court vision.

Let’s not forget the “Clark effect.” The team performs much better when Clark is playing, as Indiana wins about 61.5% of its games with her on the court, compared to only 51.6% without her. Now, if you are thinking about her game against the Wings, let’s not forget it was a close game with a difference of just three points.

So, if Caitlin Clark keeps building on the same momentum, she might just lift the MVP honor this season after all.