Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) interacts during practice and media availability at the Tribal Practice Facility in Uncasville, Connecticut on September 21, 2024. (Photo by Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The WNBA playoffs have begun, marking Kaitlyn Clark’s first postseason game.
The Rookie of the Year candidate will face the Connecticut Sun on Sunday in a best-of-three first-round series, with Game 2 scheduled for Wednesday and Game 3 on Friday if necessary.
Clark has exceeded all expectations this season and her sixth-seeded Fever team has a good chance to beat the third-seeded Sun.
Cassandra Negley of Yahoo Sports analyzed the matchup and explained why Indiana is in a favorable position:
With Caitlin Clark playing like a veteran as her rookie season comes to an end and Kelsey Mitchell now healthy after limited playing time with an ankle injury during the preseason, they have formed one of the most dangerous backcourts in the league, averaging 49.1 combined points since the All-Star/Olympic break, up from 35 points prior to that.
Aliyah Boston and Nalyssa Smith have more chemistry with Clark, and Lexi Hull’s perimeter shooting gives the team a dangerous three-man threat. After losing three straight to the Sun in less than a month of league action, Indiana beat the Sun’s league-best defense in their fourth meeting last month and won by shooting 43% from three-point range.
No matter how you analyze it, Clarke has been great all season and doesn’t look like his momentum will slow down in the playoffs.
Live24 Updates
Sunday, September 22, 2024, 4:29 PM EDT
This is just as entertaining as we expected. The pace picks up. Marlena Mabry scores three points over Clarke and they have a little chat before heading home. Two of the league’s notorious trash talkers. Clarke scores one over Mabry.
Sunday, September 22, 2024, 4:26 PM EDT
There it is. Clark makes his first 3-pointer of the day on an assist from Mitchell, but Mabry answers on the other end. The Fever gets the ball and Mabry makes another. The Sun lead 58-46 halfway through the third quarter.
Sunday, September 22, 2024, 4:24 PM EDT
The Suns led by as many as nine points, 52-43, and the Fever took a timeout with 7 minutes and 7 seconds left in the game. Clark was still down three points, and Boston and Hull each had three fouls.
Sunday, September 22, 2024, 4:18 PM EDT
Clark tried consecutive 3-pointers at halftime but missed again, and the Fever appeared hesitant on offense.
Sunday, September 22, 2024, 4:17 PM EDT
Clark made a couple of 3-pointers in the halftime warmup. She went 1-for-9 and missed all six of her 3-pointers. She had four assists, two steals, one block and zero turnovers (yes, zero). The numbers point to a Fever win despite her poor shooting so far. Kelsey Mitchell led the Fever with 11 points and Damiris Dantas, one of the few Fever players with playoff experience, had 10 points off the bench.
Bonner had 16 points with three assists, while Thomas had 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
Sunday, September 22, 2024 4:01 PM EDT
HALF: Sun 46, Heat 38
The final minutes of the second half saw the Fever’s momentum die down. The Fever looked disorganized on both ends of the court as the Sun took an 8-0 lead. Connecticut trailed by eight points, its largest lead of the game.
Sunday, September 22, 2024, 3:49 PM EDT
I can’t say enough about Lexi Hull’s defensive impact, coming out of nowhere with pure hustle to grab rebounds and give the Fever second and third chances.
Sunday, September 22, 2024 3:41 PM EDT
2Q 5:31 | Sunday 32, Heat 30
Sunday, September 22, 2024 3:41 PM EDT
The Fever continue to lose Alyssa Thomas, which is never a good idea.
Sunday, September 22, 2024, 3:39 PM EDT
Clarke returned to the field after two minutes on the bench with the game still down by one point.
Sunday, September 22, 2024, 3:32 PM EDT
1Q: Sunday 23, fever 20
The Sun did well in stifling the Fever in transition, as the Fever was just 2-8 from 3-point range. DeWanna Bonner (4-6 overall, 2-2 from 3-point range, 10 points) and Alyssa Thomas (3-6, 6 points) led the Sun offense.
Sunday, September 22, 2024, 3:26 PM EDT
As both sides, in defensive stances, work on the Fever bench, an assistant comes over and stands in front of her: the de-escalation committee, coaches’ version.
Sunday, September 22, 2024, 3:25 PM EDT
Where’s the de-escalation committee?! Kristy Sides gets a technical foul and the Fever bench is furious after Lexi Hull gets called out of bounds right in front of them.
Sunday, September 22, 2024, 3:23 PM EDT
Clarke got past Mabry under the basket for her first points of the game, and she had a steal on her previous attempt and three assists with zero turnovers.
Sunday, September 22, 2024, 3:16 PM EDT
Ty Harris is fouled while chasing down Lexi Hull and lies near the Fever bench. She is helped off the court and down the tunnel with little strength on her right leg. She is replaced by Suns mid-season acquisition Marina Mabry. The Suns lead 10-6 less than four minutes into the game. This game starts off really awkward.
Sunday, September 22, 2024, 3:16 PM EDT
Clarke has been doing well so far in a very disjointed game.
Sunday, September 22, 2024, 3:12 PM EDT
Clark talked a lot yesterday and today about the Fever’s growing confidence throughout the season, from the start of the season to the playoffs. That confidence will be boosted during the game if Clark can make an early 3-pointer, which has always fired her up. Both of her attempts were in-and-out, and they gave the Suns points.
Sunday, September 22, 2024, 3:11 PM EDT
At 8:30 in the first quarter, Caitlin Clark was still searching for her first point. After passing to a teammate, she took a powerful shot that appeared to poke her in the eye. No foul was called.
Sunday, September 22, 2024, 3:03 PM EDT
The last time the Fever made the playoffs, Suns head coach Stephanie White (an Indiana native) was the head coach and Suns assistant Brian Janally was the point guard.
Sunday, September 22, 2024 2:48 PM EDT
The Suns boast one of the best defenses in the league every year, from Di’Jonai Carrington on the perimeter (she’ll likely be guarding Clark full court) to Alyssa Thomas in the paint. Something Connecticut coach Stephanie White said after practice yesterday was key to this series.
“We’re a great defensive team, but good offense always beats good defense. We’re always going to be poised defensively to win games. We’ve got to play well on the offensive end of the court. We’ve got to score. This team has a high scoring rate. We’ve got to be able to score with them, so we’ve got to score the easy goals.”
She wants to see the Sun make open shots, layups and free throws after the loss to Indiana.
