In the battle of the top two picks from the 2024 WNBA draft on Tuesday night, Caitlin Clark won the battle, but Cameron Brink took the war.

Clark was mostly fantastic for the Indiana Fever, scoring a career-high 30 points to go along with six assists, five rebounds, three steals and three blocks. But Brink's Los Angeles Sparks were better, winning 88-82 behind Aari McDonald's 21 points off the bench.

Brink was something of a non-factor, finishing with three points, three rebounds, two blocks and two assists.

Clark assuredly would have preferred winning the game to the individual matchup. She also probably would have wanted to avoid the turnover bug that bit her again (seven) or her struggles from beyond the arc (3-of-10).

But she still looked like a star-in-the-making, and fans on social media took notice:

Clark was so effective she had McDonald guarding her when she was supposed to be shooting a second free throw:

She also had several of the Indiana Pacers in attendance to watch her work:

The Sparks (2-4) hit a different gear in the second half, going on 11- and 12-point runs at various points in the third and fourth quarters. One of those runs came with Clark largely on the bench, another reminder of her importance to the Fever, even early in her career.

It hasn't been the banner start to her career from a wins and losses perspective, as the Fever are now just 1-7. It didn't help that McDonald and Nurse got red-hot from three in the second half, finishing a combined 8-of-13 from beyond the arc.

But Clark is showing signs of improvement, even less than 10 games into her career. Her side didn't get the win on Tuesday, but she was arguably the best player on the floor, and that by itself is an extremely promising sign for Indiana.