Behind rookie sensation Caitlin Clark’s record-setting campaign, the Indiana Fever embark on their first WNBA playoffs appearance since 2016 when they begin a best-of-three series on Sunday against the host Connecticut Sun in Uncasville, Conn.
Indiana earned the No. 6 seed, going 9-5 after returning from the Olympic break. Clark, the No. 1 overall draft pick, tied Kelsey Mitchell with a team-best 19.2 points per game, while Clark’s 337 assists were a WNBA record.
The assist total gave Clark an average of 8.4 per game to go along with 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals.
“I feels night and day from where I started (the season),” Clark said. “I’m proud of myself in that regard. I think I’ve learned a lot. … Once we kind of found our groove, I think my teammates have allowed me to be myself and that’s what has kind of brought us some success.”
Indiana had a scare in its regular-season finale Thursday vs. Washington, a 92-91 loss, when two-time All-Star and veteran Mitchell went down in the first quarter after a collision. Mitchell will be available for the playoffs and at full-strength, Fever coach Christie Sides said.
Part of Indiana’s late-season surge included an 84-80 victory over Connecticut on Aug. 28, their lone success in four games between the teams.
Five Fever players scored in double figures during the victory over the Sun, including Mitchell with a game-high 23, while Clark had 19 and Lexie Hull added 17. The trio shot a combined 11-of-25 (44.0 percent) from 3-point range.
Consistent 3-point shooting has been a key for Indiana throughout its run to the playoffs. The Fever finished the regular season hitting 35.6 percent from beyond the arc, third best in the league.
“I still feel there is a lot for us that we can achieve,” Clark said. “I have seen expectations that people have for us and that can get us further as an organization.”
Connecticut, the No. 3 seed in the playoffs, held opponents to 31.3 percent on 3-point attempts, second lowest in the WNBA, and boasted the league’s stingiest defensive yield at 73.6 points allowed per game.
The Sun also matched the Seattle Storm with a WNBA-high 16.3 turnovers forced per game, thanks in part to all four Connecticut starters averaging at least 1.2 steals per game.
The Sun spread their offensive production as well, led by Brionna Jones’ 18.2 points per game. Connecticut’s seven leading scorers average at least 10.5 per game for the season.
Marina Mabrey, a midseason addition in a trade from Chicago, is scoring 19.6 points per game in her time with the Sun, while primarily bringing a spark off the bench. She has averaged 14.9 points in her 16 games (three starts) for Connecticut.
“Indiana is playing really confident basketball,” Sun head coach Stephanie White said, according to the Hartford Courant. “… You’ve got to be able to give them different looks because they’re smart players. And when they get beat, they’re going to pick you apart. We’ve got to be consistent for 40 minutes.”
–Field Level Media
