Connecticut Sun shut down Indiana Fever 93-69 in WNBA Playoffs behind Alyssa Thomas triple-double

UNCASVILLE — Behind a triple-double from superstar Alyssa Thomas, the Connecticut Sun routed the Indiana Fever 93-69 in Game 1 of their first-round WNBA playoffs series at Mohegan Sun Arena on Sunday.

Thomas finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists, marking the fourth postseason triple-double of her career. She accounts for two-thirds of the all-time triple-doubles in the playoffs (6). The Sun now lead the series 1-0 and will host the Fever again for Game 2 in Uncasville on Tuesday (7:30 p.m., ESPN).

“It’s crazy, right? Like, we almost take it for granted,” Sun coach Stephanie White said. “I hope that we remind ourselves not to. It’s not normal, you guys. Like, it’s just not normal to have this many triple doubles … I was really, really pleased that she was aggressive offensively. I think that’s got to be a difference-maker for us. She’s got to be hunting some of those shot opportunities, especially around that 8- to 10-foot range. If they’re going to leave her open, she’s got to shoot with confidence and knock it down, and I loved how she did that today.”

Sun forward DeWanna Bonner has two WNBA championship rings from her 10 years playing for the Phoenix Mercury, and her postseason experience was apparent by her hot start in the first quarter. Bonner scored the first points for the Sun on a 3-pointer, and she started the game 4-for-4 from the field. By halftime, she had a team-leading 16 points shooting a perfect 2-for-2 on 3-pointers and 6-for-6 at the free throw line. Bonner was just as impactful defensively, ending the first half on with back-to-back blocks against the Fever, helping the Sun to a 23-20 lead. Thomas, who has led the Sun to eight consecutive postseason appearances, also dominated early, already approaching her triple-double before halftime with 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

“I think that they understand the magnitude of where we are,” White said. “They’ve been through it, so they understand that it takes another level. It takes another gear, takes another level of urgency, and the margin for error is smaller. So I think because they’ve been there, they understand it and they’re leading by example. They were locked in.”

But what really powered the Sun’s start was a lockdown defensive effort, especially against the Fever’s sharpshooters. Rookie phenom Caitlin Clark started 0-for-6 from beyond the arc and 1-for-9 from the field, and veteran guard Kelsey Mitchell didn’t hit the team’s first 3-pointer until than five minutes into the first quarter. Mitchell led Indiana with 11 first-half points, but she and center Aliyah Boston were the only starters with multiple field goals.

Connecticut had to revamp its game plan after starting point guard Tyasha Harris suffered a right ankle injury four minutes into the first quarter. She wore a walking boot on the Sun bench after halftime, and White did not have a postgame update on her status for Game 2. But despite playing nearly the entire game without its true point guard, the team finished with 27 assists on 36 made field goals. Thomas anchored the effort, but three other players recorded at least three assists.

Marina Mabrey checked in for Harris and played 32 minutes, though she started sluggish going 0-for-5 from 3-point range and logging just seven points in the first half. However, the Sun’s top shooting threat caught fire in the third quarter, hitting three of her five threes in the game for 11 points. DiJonai Carrington also found an offensive stride in the second half, finishing with 14 points after entering halftime with four.

Clark hit her first 3-pointer of the game at the start of the third quarter after Connecticut forced a Fever timeout with a 4-0 run over the opening minute, but Mabrey responded with her first two makes from beyond the arc on the next two possessions to open up the largest lead of the game for the Sun. She hit another pair back-to-back that opened up Connecticut’s first 20-point lead in the fourth quarter, and the team finished shooting an impressive 50% from outside.

Mabrey set a new career high for postseason points with 27 shooting 9-for-20 from the field and 5-for-12 on 3-pointers. She also set a league record for most points off the bench in a playoff game. Bonner joined Mabrey with 20-plus points, finishing with 22 plus six rebounds and five assists.

Mitchell recorded a team-high 21 for Indiana and Boston added 17, but the Fever had their worst offensive performance of the season finishing with less than 70 points for the first time in 41 games. Clark was held to 11 points and shot just 2-for-13 from outside with Bonner spending most of the game as her primary guard. Carrington, usually the Sun’s go-to perimeter defender, matched up with Mitchell and forced a game-high four turnovers against her.

“It was about having length. It was about giving us versatility in our pick and roll situations, to give it a different look,” White said. “So much about about this game is about comfort. It’s about rhythm, it’s about timing … so how can you make an adjustment that disrupts some of that? Kudos to DB for her willingness. She’s (15) years in this league, and we’re asking her to be an elite defender when most people in this point in their career, you’re a corner 3-point shooter, and that’s about it. Credit to her for accepting this challenge. It gave us a different look at the point and I really liked that.”