Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever secure sixth place in the WNBA playoffs
USA Today’s Lindsay Schnell explains how impressive Caitlin Clark was in helping secure the sixth seed in the WNBA playoffs.
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It’s official: Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever will face the Connecticut Sun in the 2024 WNBA playoffs.
The Sun, favorites to win the WNBA championship in the preseason, secured third place with an 85-54 win over the Chicago Sky in the final game of the regular season on Thursday.
The Fever are returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Their entry into the postseason was made possible by the performance of Caitlin Clark, who is practically a sure candidate for the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year award.
Indiana boasts one of the league’s best veterans in guard Kelsey Mitchell, now in her seventh professional season. But none of the Fever starters have WNBA playoff experience, while the Sun and their core have made several good postseason runs, including a trip to the 2022 Finals where they lost to the Las Vegas Aces in four games. Earlier this season, the Sun traded guard Marina Mabrey, a sharp perimeter shooter, in hopes of bolstering their title chances.
WNBA playoff format
In the WNBA playoff format, the sixth-seeded team will face the third-seeded team in the first round. All first-round matches will be best-of-three series, with the first two games played at the home stadium of the higher-seeded team; Game 3, if necessary, will be played at the home stadium of the lower-seeded team.
This format means the lower-seeded playoff teams may not have the huge financial advantage that comes from hosting a postseason game. And if they manage to steal an away game, it puts the higher-seeded team in the difficult position of trying to win Game 3 in a hostile environment.
So No. 6 Indiana (20-20) faces No. 3 Connecticut (28-12).
Indiana vs. Connecticut playoff schedule
➤ Game 1: Sunday, September 22 in Connecticut, 3 p.m. ET on ABC
➤ Game 2: Wednesday, September 25 in Connecticut, 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
➤ Game 3 (if necessary): Friday, September 27 in Indiana, game start time to be announced, on ESPN2
How did Caitlin Clark play against the Connecticut Sun this season?
The Sun and Fever met four times this year, with Connecticut coming out on top 3-1. Here’s how Clark played in each of those games:
∎ May 14: Connecticut 92, Indiana 71
- Clark’s statistics: 20 points (5 of 15 hits, including 4 of 11 three-pointers), 3 assists, 2 steals, 10 turnovers
∎ May 20: Connecticut 88, Indiana 84
- Clark’s statistics: 17 points (5 of 11 hits, including 3 of 7 three-pointers), 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks, 5 turnovers
∎ June 10: Connecticut 89, Indiana 72
- Clark’s statistics: 10 points (3 of 8 hits, including 2 of 5 three-pointers), 2 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers
∎ August 28: Indiana 84, Connecticut 80
- Clark’s statistics: 19 points (7 of 17 hits, including 3 of 12 three-pointers), 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 7 turnovers
It’s worth noting that Indiana’s only win over Connecticut this season came after the Olympic break, which benefited Clark and the Fever overall tremendously. Indiana has been one of the better teams since the WNBA resumed play in August, compiling a record of 9-4; Las Vegas is the only team that hasn’t beaten Indiana this season.
Caitlin Clark vs DiJonai Carrington
In the playoffs, just like in the regular season, Clark will likely be guarded by Connecticut’s DiJonai Carrington, one of the league’s best perimeter defenders. Carrington is only 6-foot-10 and a superb athlete – it runs in the family, as her brother played eight seasons in the NFL – with long arms and quick feet who loves the physical game. She and Clark have developed something of a rivalry this season, as Carrington has repeatedly complained to referees about Clark’s whining about foul calls.
Regardless, it’s clear that Carrington knows how to defend Clark, as the Rookie of the Year favorite has shot just 39% (20 of 51) from the field and just 34% (12 of 35) from the three-point line in four meetings with the Sun. While Carrington downplayed the individual matchup, it’s obvious that Carrington takes pride in frustrating her defender and forcing him to make mistakes and rush shots.
The Sun have the best defensive rating in the league and boast a number of players with long wingspans who can put pressure on Clark and Indiana’s other defenders. If Carrington isn’t defending Clark, it will likely be either DeWanna Bonner or Alyssa Thomas, two veterans who also love to make life difficult for opposing defenders.
Bottom line: Indiana has played great since the Olympic break, thanks in large part to the improved performance of off guards Kelsey Mitchell and Lexie Hull. But the Fever still have some work to do.
Email Lindsay Schnell at [email protected] and follow her on social media @Lindsay_Schnell
