The Indiana Fever are making no excuses for Sunday’s 93-69 loss to the Connecticut Sun in the first round of the WNBA playoffs.
It wasn’t the playoff atmosphere or the pressure of the moment. The experienced Sun simply played better and defeated the upstart Fever.
“I felt like we just played a crappy game,” Fever star guard Caitlin Clark said. “The flow of the game was really bad. I don’t know if it was the referees’ fault, it was probably partly us because we had trouble stopping the balls at times. … It was one thing after another.”
“We can win. It’s not about the building. It’s not about the gym. It’s not about the baskets. I have the most confidence in the world in this team, and everyone in our locker room has that confidence. I know we’re going to be a lot better on Wednesday.”
Connecticut held Clark to just 11 points on 4-of-17 shooting, including 2-of-13 three-pointers. The All-WNBA guard added eight assists, four rebounds and three steals, but the Fever need Clark’s points to keep up in this series. The Sun made a small adjustment on defense, inserting DeWanna Bonner instead of DiJonai Carrington as Clark’s primary defender. Clark scored 19 points in an 84-80 win in Indiana’s last game against Connecticut. That performance stuck with the Sun, and they made the necessary adjustments to slow Clark down.
Fever value: Caitlin Clark struggles to shoot, Fever loses Game 1 of the playoffs against Sun 93-69
“I just plan the game and try to strategize,” Bonner said of the Sun’s defense against Clark. “Last time they beat us. We accepted the challenge. … I know Clark will fight back in the next game. (A strong defense) is the only way we can win.”
Strong performances from Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston are usually enough for the Fever to make up for a bad night from their rookie sensation. Mitchell scored a team-leading 21 points and Boston added 17 points and 10 rebounds. Indiana’s Big 3 played admirably, but their supporting cast struggled. Fellow starters NyLssa Smith and Lexie Hull combined for five points and three turnovers. Hull hit 0 of 2 three-pointers. Smith didn’t grab a single rebound in nine minutes.
While the Fever’s bench struggled, the Suns got a huge boost from Marina Mabrey. Mabrey scored 27 points off the bench, the most of the game, and added three rebounds and three assists. The Fever had no answer for Mabrey, and their inability to score made it impossible for them to mount a comeback.
Despite the loss, there was no panic after the game. The Fever do not appear to be planning any sweeping changes or drastic adjustments. Christie Sides is confident that her team will play better. With a 1-0 deficit in a best-of-3 series, they cannot afford another bad night.
“This is playoff basketball,” Sides said. “We have to be able to handle it when it gets messy. We have to be able to handle it when things don’t go the way we want them to, when we have to slow down and make a good shot.”
“We’re going to run, we’re going to play with tempo, that’s what we’re going to do. You have to make stops for that. But that’s where we’re best. We had some great opportunities both in transition and in our own half. We’ll figure it out. And we have another opportunity on Wednesday to come back and then bring it home.”
