Ogwumike Said the Sparks' Home Opener Was 'Not It.' Tonight, Clark Comes to Crypto.com Arena.

Three days after getting routed 105-78 by the Las Vegas Aces at home, Nneka Ogwumike didn't mince words. "I feel like we disappointed the people that came to the home opener," she said. Tonight, the Los Angeles Sparks get another chance to prove they belong — and Caitlin Clark is the test.

The Sparks' home opener was a slow-motion disaster. Las Vegas shot 62 percent from the field — the second-best mark in Aces franchise history — against a Los Angeles squad that Ogwumike said failed to match even the standard set in the fourth quarter by Kelsey Plum. Plum scored 27 points, including 12 in the final frame, but couldn't drag her team along. "That is what needs to be happening from top to bottom," Ogwumike said. Plum was equally blunt: the team was "disappointed in our effort."

Cameron Brink, the Sparks' high-upside second-year forward, had such a rough eight minutes that coach Lynne Roberts sent her a public warning. The crowd at Crypto.com Arena, built for nearly 19,000, showed up expecting a statement game and watched a 27-point rout instead.

Now the Sparks are 0-1, and Clark is walking through the door.

Indiana is 0-1 too, coming off a 107-104 home loss to Dallas in which Clark put up 20 points and seven assists but shot just 2-of-9 from three. The Fever gave up 25 transition points that game — a number coach Stephanie White has had three days to correct. Wednesday night at 10:30 p.m. ET on USA Network, two winless teams collide in a building that three days ago felt like a house of shame.

Somebody gets their first win. Ogwumike's words hang over the Sparks' locker room either way.