WNBA playoffs: Caitlin Clark uncharacteristically struggles in Game 1 — ‘I felt like we just played a crappy game’

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Caitlin Clark viewed a return to Connecticut to open her first WNBA playoffs as an opportunity to show how far the Indiana Fever have come since their first game in the same arena.

They didn’t seize it.

“I felt like we just played a crappy game,” Clark said. “Like the flow of the game was really bad.”

The Fever couldn’t get into rhythm Sunday against the Sun’s league-leading defense for much of the 40 minutes and could merely watch as Marina Mabrey, Connecticut’s midseason acquisition, poured in 27 points on five 3s. Indiana lost another blowout at Mohegan Sun Arena, 93-69, and needs to win Game 2 here on Wednesday to keep alive its first playoff appearance since 2016.

Clark’s shooting struggles on the road in Connecticut continued. Both of her early 3-point attempts that often fuel signature Clark days rimmed out, and she didn’t hit one until 6:55 of the third quarter. Another 3 with three minutes left in the third quarter concluded her scoring, and she finished with 11 points, shooting 23.5% from the field overall and 15.4% from 3 (2-of-13). She made one trip to the free-throw line.

“Honestly, I felt like I got good shots, they just didn’t go down,” Clark said. “And obviously [it’s] a tough time for that to happen. I got some really good looks. I felt like I had two pretty wide-open 3s in the first half that you usually make.”

A three-point first-quarter deficit grew into an eight-point halftime one when the Sun used defense to fuel an 8-0 run that was ultimately the Fever’s undoing. Clark, still a goose egg from the perimeter, hit consecutive shots at halftime from her spot, but missed her first attempt from the same area out of the half.

The Sun began to run away with it, keeping up with the Fever’s offense through the third while Mabrey answered Clark’s 3s in a mini back-and-forth battle of them defending each other.

“Obviously, Marina gets hot, and she’s a really good player,” Clark said. “But, you know, I had a few lapses on the defensive end where, as a shooter, once you see two in a row go in, the basket looks huge, so you can’t allow that.”

Clark noted after Saturday’s practice the Fever had not played well in their two prior games in Connecticut. They’ve been blown out in three games by an average of 20.7 points, but split the two at home by four points apiece. In three games at Mohegan this season, Clark is shooting 30% overall and 27% from 3, down from her season averages of 41.7% and 34.4%, respectively. She has actually shot better from the perimeter on the road all season (36.7%) than at home at Gainbridge Fieldhouse (32.3%). At home against Connecticut, Clark shot 42.9% overall and 31.5% from 3 in two games.

“It’s not the building, it’s not the hoops,” Indiana head coach Christie Sides said. “The Connecticut Sun is a really good team. A really good team with a lot of experience and they know what it takes to step onto that next level, that playoff level, and that’s what we’re going to be. That’s who we’re going to become. They made it really difficult, and we’ve got to close that gap.”

DeWanna Bonner, a two-time champion with the Phoenix Mercury and the Sun’s most veteran star, pulled most of the defensive assignments on the rookie point guard. DiJonai Carrington, an all-defensive team contender, had done most of the coverage on Clark throughout the season.

“They beat us last time, so we have to do something different,” Bonner said. “That was about it. There was nothing behind it. They’ve got two great guards, so somebody has to step up and play defense.”

Bonner led all scorers with 22 points. Alyssa Thomas notched yet another postseason triple-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists. She also had nearly the exact stat line in a triple-double against the Fever in the season opener. The Sun shot 49.3% from the floor in a top-10 offensive performance of their season. They were 9-of-18 from 3, led by Mabrey’s 5-of-12 day.

Kelsey Mitchell led the Fever with 21 points (9-of-20) but also couldn’t get it going from 3 (2-of-10). She added five assists in her first playoff game after six seasons watching from afar.

“This is a game that has imperfections, and I think that for us, we dropped the ball,” Mitchell said. “We just didn’t play well. We didn’t do well enough to win at least.”

Aliyah Boston scored 17 with 11 rebounds, working often off Mitchell early as Clark pulled away defensive attention. Lexie Hull only took two 3 attempts, missing both, and had five points. Damiris Dantas, the most veteran Fever player with playoff experience, scored 12 off the bench (4-of-7 shooting). The Fever’s 69 points neared a season low as did their 40.3 field-goal percentage, an uncharacteristic number since the break.

“I want to go back and watch and just kind of see, but I think these guys are going to shoot the ball a lot better Wednesday and that’s going to make a huge difference,” Sides said.

Though the result was similar to their first two trips to Connecticut, the Fever are taking positives with their season on the line. Clark added eight assists, four rebounds, three steals, one block and turned the ball over only twice. It tied her season-low and checked the box on a key to the game for the Fever. She had 10 turnovers in the season opener and seven when they last met in a Fever win. The Fever assisted on 23-of-27 baskets, and Sides believes when she looks at the tape, there will be wide-open shots that could have led to more.

“We didn’t play well,” Clark said. “We didn’t play to the level we’re capable of playing. We didn’t shoot the ball like we’re capable of. But even that to the side, we’re capable of winning this game without making shots.”

The Sun won’t rest on the success of this one, either. The WNBA switched to a best-of-three format in 2022, and the Sun have lost Game 2 each of the last two seasons. A Game 3 would head back to Indianapolis on Friday, where contests have been closer. There is no doubt for whom the presumptively sold-out arena will be rooting, and it loves to answer Clark’s deep 3s.

“[Clark] is a great player,” Bonner said. “I know next game she’s going to come out on fire, so we’ve got to go back, watch some video, and see what we can do.”