Carrington vs. Clark would make Sun-Fever a must-see playoff matchup

Carrington vs. Clark would make Sun-Fever a must-see playoff matchup originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Caitlin Clark has made every Indiana Fever game a must-watch this season. But Wednesday’s contest against the Connecticut Sun had a little extra juice, thanks in part to a budding rivalry that could carry over into the postseason.

Sun guard DiJonai Carrington matched up with Clark for most of Wednesday’s game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse and went back-and-forth with the rookie sensation all night. Carrington picked Clark’s pocket in the first quarter — one of her six steals on the night — before Clark responded with a step-back 3-pointer on Carrington that set the WNBA rookie record for most threes in a season.

Things escalated in the third quarter, when Carrington responded to another Clark 3-pointer by hitting a three of her own and shushing the Indiana crowd. On the next possession, Clark drove right at Carrington to convert a tough layup. (Check out the full sequence here.)

Carrington caught some grief from WNBA fans after Clark appeared to show her up, but the fourth-year guard has been one of the league’s better defenders on Clark throughout the season.

Clark committed a whopping 10 turnovers in her WNBA debut against the Sun back on May 14, two of which came off Carrington steals. The NCAA’s all-time leading scorer has averaged 16.5 points on 39.2 percent shooting in four games against the Sun this season (both below her season averages), with Connecticut winning three of those matchups thanks in large part to Carrington’s defense.

Clark still managed 19 points on Wednesday, however, helping the Fever pull out an 84-80 win and prove they can hang with one of the WNBA’s best teams. It’s very possible these teams could meet again, too: The Sun are the current No. 3 seed but just a half game back of the No. 2 Minnesota Lynx, while the Fever are the current No. 7 seed.

So, if Connecticut jumps Minnesota and Indiana remains the No. 7 seed, the Sun would host Clark and the Fever for a best-of-three first-round playoff series, giving Carrington another crack at Clark. Game 2 of that series would be in Indiana, and based on Carrington’s postgame activity on social media, she’d likely get a hostile welcome.

The Sun are back in action Saturday against the Mystics in Washington and have 10 games remaining on their regular-season schedule before the playoffs begin Sept. 22.