Wings 107, Fever 104: Bueckers and Ogunbowale outlast Clark in opener for the ages

The most-anticipated WNBA opener in years delivered. Dallas held off Indiana 107-104 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Caitlin Clark's deep three at the buzzer rimmed out, and the Wings walked out with the win behind 22 from Arike Ogunbowale and 20 (on 8-of-10 shooting) from Paige Bueckers.

Clark's stat line: 20 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists. In her first regular-season game in 297 days. The right groin tear that ended her 2025 had her on the shelf since July 15 — Saturday was her return, and a packed Indianapolis crowd saw flashes of the player who broke a dozen records last year. She also crossed the 1,000/250/250 career milestone faster than any player ever (Taurasi: 62 games. Clark: 54).

But there's a but. Coach Stephanie White confirmed after the game that Clark needed in-game back adjustments from the training staff and that her hip and rib alignment is going to be 'an ongoing thing.' Translation: the back issue from preseason isn't fully gone. The Fever drop to 0-1 with the road trip just starting. Bueckers, in her second pro season, looked like the guard who'd just won Rookie of the Year. The first regular-season Clark vs. Bueckers matchup goes to Dallas.