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INDIANAPOLIS -- If you asked the Indiana Fever earlier this week how they wanted their season to begin, their ideal vision couldn't have looked any better than what actually happened Saturday afternoon in front of a raucous crowd at sold-out Gainbridge Fieldhouse. 

Caitlin Clark recorded a triple-double, DeWanna Bonner had a milestone moment and there was even a scuffle for good measure as the Fever cruised to a historic 93-58 win over the Chicago Sky. The 35-point win was the second-largest margin of victory in Fever history. 

"Definitely a perfect opening day," Bonner said after moving into third-place on the league's all-time scoring list with 7,489 career points.

The Fever entered this season with serious expectations, which they largely brought upon themselves. After making the playoffs last season for the first time since 2016, they slammed the pedal to the floor on their rebuild. Amber Cox and Kelly Krauskopf were brought in to lead the front office, and set about revamping the coaching staff and roster. 

Out went Christie Sides and in came Stephanie White, who was named WNBA Coach of the Year in 2023 and previously played and coached for the Fever. Notably, she was an assistant under Lin Dunn when the Fever won their only championship back in 2012. 

In a series of trades and free agent signings, the Fever acquired Bonner, Natasha Howard, Sophie Cunningham, Brianna Turner and Sydney Colson. Last season, the Fever had 19 total games of playoff experience on the roster; their veteran offseason additions had a combined 195. 

Fever's Caitlin Clark ties Candace Parker on WNBA's all-time triple-double list in season-opening rout of Sky
Isabel Gonzalez
Fever's Caitlin Clark ties Candace Parker on WNBA's all-time triple-double list in season-opening rout of Sky

During training camp, Clark and Co. made it clear that they had one goal in mind: a championship. 

The Fever can't win a title in May. Saturday's victory was Game 1 out of 44 against a team that might not make the playoffs. Afterward, everyone who spoke was saying all the right things about focusing on themselves and looking for ways to improve, despite the result. 

"You can't get too high, you can't get too low," Clark said. "You just got to stay right in the middle." 

That may be true for the team, but everyone else is free to react with the appropriate hype. 

The Fever looked sloppy a times. They missed too many layups and miscommunicated on a number of passes. Late in the first quarter, Kelsey Mitchell had a free throw rim out -- one of nine the team missed on the day -- and screamed so loud it was picked up by the in-arena mics. 

And yet, they won by 35, and it easily could have been more. 

Clark, as always, was in full control. She finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, two steals and four blocks, made four 3-pointers and found a perfect balance between scoring and making plays for others. One one possession late in the second quarter, she created a basket without even touching the ball, as two Sky defenders followed her on a potential hand-off, leaving Aliyah Boston all alone for a layup. 

Boston was tremendous herself, finishing with 19 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks on 8 of 12 from the field. All told, the Fever had four players score at least 15 points, but none more than 20, and six players take at least nine field goals, but none more than 13. 

"I thought [our balance] was really good," White said. "I think when we're going to be at our best, you're going to see like seven or eight in double figures nightly. You know, I think we ahve a group that's much like the [Indiana] Pacers. We've got a lot of great balance. That's going to make us tough to guard. 

"We've got players who are used to making tough shots. We want to allow them to make easy ones." 

Even more impressive than the offense was the defense. In addition to getting more experienced, the Fever were determined to be a better defensive team this season. So far, so good. 

With Howard and Boston leading the way in the paint, the Fever held the Sky to 58 points and 29.1% shooting from the field, blocked 10 shots and forced 17 turnovers. Last season, the fewest amount of points they allowed was 70, the lowest shooting percentage against them was 33.8% and they recorded double-digit blocks just once. 

"I thought we were disruptive, I thought we came with a level of physicality," White said. 

Boston concurred: "[We were] making them feel us, making them think about our pressure." 

This may have only been one "perfect" game on May 17, but sometimes one game is all you need to see. The Fever should be serious about competing for a title this season, because they absolutely can. 

Late in the fourth quarter, after making a pair of free throws to pass Tina Thompson to become the league's third-leading scorer all-time, Bonner raised her arms in the air, hugged her teammates and walked off the floor to a standing ovation. 

"That was a reflection of living in that moment," Bonner said of her celebration. "And then when I got into the locker room I was like, 'Man, on to the next,' because we've got bigger goals."