LOS ANGELES (AP) — Caitlin Clark had 24 points and nine assists, Kelsey Mitchell added 23 points and the Indiana Fever beat the Los Angeles Sparks 87-78 on Wednesday night.
Clark's first 3-pointer, in seven attempts, came with 4:51 remaining in the fourth quarter to extend Indiana's lead to 78-63.
Los Angeles went on an 11-3 run, capped by a shot in the lane by Kelsey Plum, to pull within 83-76 with 1:23 left. After an Indiana turnover, Plum missed an open 3-pointer from the corner.
Clark found Mitchell on an inbounds pass for a layup to give Indiana an 85-76 lead with 33.2 left.
Sophie Cunningham added 12 points and Monique Billings had nine points and eight rebounds in her regular-season debut for Indiana (1-1). Aliyah Boston had four points and seven rebounds before fouling out with 3:32 left in the fourth. Myisha Hines-Allen reached 500 career assists.
Plum led Los Angeles (0-2) with 25 points and Dearica Hamby added 16. Cameron Brink had 11 points and three blocks, and Nneka Ogwumike and Rae Burrell each scored 10. Starter Ariel Atkins played 16 minutes before leaving with a head injury.
Indiana led 48-34 at halftime behind 17 points from Mitchell and 11 by Clark. Mitchell was 7 of 9 from the field to help the Fever shoot 56%.
Fever: Hosts Washington on Friday.
Sparks: At Toronto for back-to-back games against the Tempo beginning Friday.
AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) and center-forward Aliyah Boston (7) share a moment before the first half of a WNBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Sparks Wednesday, May 13, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell (0) steals the ball from Los Angeles Sparks forward Cameron Brink (22) during the first half of a WNBA basketball game Wednesday, May 13, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) drives past Los Angeles Sparks guard-forward Rae Burrell (12) during the first half of a WNBA basketball game Wednesday, May 13, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Comedian Bill Maher was the guest of honor at the Kennedy Center on Sunday night. But President Donald Trump's presence wasn't far away.
Just moments after Maher began to accept the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, Matt Friend, a leading impersonator of the president, took to the stage and, in Trump's voice, joked that he would accept the award himself. Trump was the punchline for other comedians and entertainers, including Whitney Cummings, Jay Leno and Woody Harrelson.
The barbs were notable for unfolding in an iconic performing arts venue that has become a metaphor for Trump's second-term effort to remake Washington in his image. But they were also paired with knocks at extremes in both political parties as Maher called out "groupthink.”
“If you hang around long enough and create something important enough, everyone hates you at some point,” Maher said.
Trump didn't attend the ceremony. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was the most prominent member of the administration in attendance. Other political guests included Paul Dans, who helped shape the Republican Project 2025 agenda. Some Democrats were in attendance, including Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania.
The future of the Kennedy Center hung over the event. Shortly after Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, the Republican president fired much of the center's leadership and installed a board largely composed of allies. It named Trump as chairman and his name was added to the building's iconic facade, prompting a legal battle that became a proxy fight over the extent of the president's power.
Trump later said the Kennedy Center would close in July for a two-year renovation. But U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper upended those plans in May by ruling that Trump's name was illegally added to the building, ordering it removed. The judge also has blocked the closure.
Trump's name has come down from the building, in compliance with the judge's order. But the part of the building once covered with letters spelling the president's name is now shrouded in a tarp. The full closure is on hold. Lawyers for the Kennedy Center have said they are not planning for now to build out programming.
Cooper has asked for an update next month on how long the tarp will remain on the building. For now, the final event scheduled for the Kennedy Center's well-known Concert Hall is “The Freedom Gathering: A Musical Celebration” on July 3.
The legal fight has turned into a saga that at points became fodder for jokes at the Twain gala.
At one point, Harrelson joked “we fixed that" in a nod to the court order calling for Trump's name to be removed from the building.
Ahead of the ceremony, Lutnick said Trump “wants to make this building sensational.”
But others were more skeptical. As he walked the red carpet ahead of the ceremony, Leno said Trump’s moves at the Kennedy Center were both “hilarious” and about “vanity.”
“It's not a war,” he said. “It's not people getting killed. It's not anti Semitism. It's a silly thing covering a name. I mean what's funnier than that? I mean it's just like, you know it's high school with money.”
Friend said he felt there was a “hunger games vibe” as he entered the building.
“It's crazy,” he said of the changes Trump has pushed for.
Given Trump's sway over the Kennedy Center, Maher's selection for the award was notable because the two men have long had a fraught relationship.
Before he entered politics, Trump filed a $5 million lawsuit against Maher in 2013 for breach of contract. Appearing on Leno’s “The Tonight Show,” Maher said he would give $5 million to the charity of Trump’s choice if Trump could prove he was not “the spawn of his mother having sex with an orangutan.”
Trump claimed that when he provided his birth certificate, Maher did not pay up, prompting the lawsuit. Trump ended up dropping it.
The Trump-Maher relationship exploded again earlier this year, when the president claimed on social media that he wasted time sitting down for a meal with the comedian last year.
Maher hosted Vice President JD Vance on his show heading into the weekend. Vance, who is promoting a book, said he watches the show and laughed at Maher's monologue “even though you were making fun of me.” During the interview, Maher pressed Vance on the Iran war, immigration enforcement and election conspiracy theories.
“You guys have two outcomes that an election can be,” Maher told Vance. “Either we win or they cheated. That s—- has to stop.”
The Twain prize ceremony will air on Netflix on July 21.
Associated Press videojournalist John Carucci contributed to this report.
People walk near the tarp covered front entrance of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts before the start of the 27th Annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor Celebrating Bill Maher, Sunday, June 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
From left, Michael Kives, Comedian and political satirist Bill Maher, and Ted Sarandos pose on the red carpet for the 27th Annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor Celebrating Bill Maher, Sunday, June 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
Comedian Jay Leno, right, and Comedian and political satirist Bill Maher pose on the red carpet for the 27th Annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor Celebrating Bill Maher, Sunday, June 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
From left, Louis C.K., Jay Leno, Arianna Huffington, and Stephen A. Smith, wait for the start of the 27th Annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor Celebrating Bill Maher, Sunday, June 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
Comedian and political satirist Bill Maher motions to the audience at the start of the 27th Annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor Celebrating Bill Maher, Sunday, June 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is seen, as its sign remains covered by a tarp, Friday, June 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
