LOS ANGELES — Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike knows one thing ahead of Wednesday night’s home game against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever.

The 15-year veteran said everyone on her team, including her, must play better defense going forward if they are going to pick up their first win.

“I know it starts with me,” Ogwumike said. “I think that was probably one of my worst one-on-one defending nights (against Las Vegas), but defense is definitely not something that you guys should be sitting here watching and hoping we get it down by the end of the month. You should see it on Wednesday.”

The Sparks are coming off a 105-78 blowout loss against the Las Vegas Aces in their season opener Sunday at Crypto.com Arena. They trailed the defending WNBA champions by as many as 32 points and were outscored 63-37 in the second half.

Sparks point guard Kelsey Plum scored a team-high 27 points, including shooting 4 for 8 from 3-point range. She echoed Ogwumike’s sentiments.

“I need to look in the mirror and figure out how to impact winning,” Plum said. “Defensively, we have to be better.”

Ogwumike, who was drafted by the Sparks with the first overall pick in 2012, recorded a double-double (19 points, 10 rebounds) in her first game back with the Sparks after playing the past two seasons with Seattle.

The Fever (0-1) are coming off a 107-104 home loss to Dallas on Saturday. All-Star guard Kelsey Mitchell scored a team-high 30 points. Center Aliyah Boston scored 29, and Clark had 20 points, seven assists and five rebounds in her first WNBA regular-season game since July 2025.

The Sparks went 3-1 against Indiana last season, but Clark sat out all of those games because of a lingering groin injury.

The Sparks will conclude their four-game homestand with consecutive games against the Toronto Tempo, the league’s first international expansion team, on Friday and Sunday.

The Sparks’ starting lineup scored 71 of the team’s 78 points against Las Vegas. Emma Cannon (3), Ta’Niya Latson (2) and Erica Wheeler (2) were the only reserves to score.

Sparks third-year forward Cameron Brink, the franchise’s No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 draft, was scoreless in eight minutes against the Aces. The 6-foot-4 forward did not attempt or block any shots. She grabbed three rebounds but had three fouls and three turnovers.

Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said she expects more production from Brink, who missed the majority of her rookie season and the first half of her second season because of a torn ACL.

“We have so much confidence and belief in her,” Roberts said after Sunday’s defeat. “She’s got to get out on the floor with some confidence and do what she’s capable of doing, but we’re going to need her.”

“I thought, especially in that first half, (the Aces) were having a hard time guarding Nneka,” Roberts continued. “They made some adjustments in the second half, sending two at her every time she even got close. Part of the beginning of the season too is figuring out rotations and chemistry and all the things. We looked like we didn’t have a lot of floor chemistry out there. Vegas did. They’ve also played together for years, right? That’s not an excuse but that’s just the reality. So, we’re going to need Cam, she’s going to be a big part of our success. I have every bit of belief in her.”

INDIANA (0-1) at SPARKS (0-1)

When: Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Crypto.com Arena

TV: USA, Spectrum SportsNet