WNBA playoffs: Caitlin Clark starts slowly in 1st career postseason game as Sun rout Fever

Clark has not shot the ball well in this building. Her line: 11 points (4-17/2-13/1-2), eight assists, four rebounds, three steals, one block, two turnovers.

It's one of the best scoring and shooting games for the Sun all season and they needed it. Game 2 is Wednesday night with the Fever's season on the line. The in-arena host notes there were a lot of "22" in the building to make a Sun point, saying "of course" it was for DeWanna Bonner scoring 22.

Christie Sides was already calling this one with subs waiting to come in and DiJonai Carrington hits a 3 to drive the point home. Fever call a timeout to put Katie Lou Samuelson, Kristy Wallace, Victaria Saxton, Grace Berger and Dantas on the floor.

Thomas went down for about a minute. She gets up, immediately subs out and heads to the bench for a trainer to look at her lower right leg. That is the last thing Sun fans want to see. Absolutely no need to keep her in at this point, either.

Alyssa Thomas, The Engine of Triple Doubles, has 12 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists with 3:53 still to play.

I talked with Mabrey yesterday about joining the Sun midseason and the vast difference in playoff experience between the Sun and Fever. She sees herself in the middle using both to her advantage.

"I have both energies. I have some veteran experience, but I also am pretty young, too. So I'm gonna try to bring my energy that I have with my youth, but also use my head and use my IQ."

Mabrey has playoff experience, but largely on a young team like the Fever. She played for the Wings in 2021-22 and Sky in '23. The 2022 Wings team won Game 2 of the first-round series against the Sun to force a Game 3 at home they ultimately lost.

oh my goodness Marina Mabrey. Have yourself a day.

Clark finds Fagbenle in transition for what look like quick points until DiJonai Carrington blocks it and brings the arena to one of their louder roars.

Sun defense is keeping Fever slightly below its 85 ppg pace, but Indiana has come back from larger deficits. It's looking like the Marina Mabrey game so far as she quickly reached 18 points. Bonner and Mabrey lead all scorers with 18 apiece. Mitchell has 16 for Indiana.

Thomas is closing in on another postseason triple-double. She's at 12 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.

This is the fun game we all thought we'd see. Pace has quickened right up. Marina Mabrey hits a 3 over Clark and gives her a little talk before they head back. Two of the league's notorious trash talkers. Clark hits one over Mabrey.

There it is. Clark's first 3 of the day off an assist by Mitchell. But Mabrey answers on the other end. Fever turn it over and Mabrey hits another. Sun lead, 58-46, nearing the halfway point of the third.

Sun's largest lead up to nine, 52-43, and Fever take a timeout at 7:07. Clark still 3-less while Boston and Hull have three fouls each.

Clark misses another 3 from where she drained a couple in a row at halftime. Fever look hesitant on offense.

Clark out here draining a few 3s in the halftime warm-ups. She's 1-9 and missed all six 3 attempts. Four assists, two steals, one block and zero (yes, zero) turnovers. That stat, despite her poor shooting day so far, has the Fever right in this. Kelsey Mitchell leads Fever with 11 points and Damiris Dantas, one of the few Fever players with playoff experience, has 10 off the bench.

Bonner is up to 16 points with three assists and Thomas has 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

The last couple of minutes in the second got away from the Fever. They looked disheveled on both ends as the Sun went on a 8-0 run. Connecticut has its largest lead of the game at eight points.

Man, not enough can be said about Lexie Hull's defensive impact. Pure hustle coming in from nowhere to snag lose rebounds and give the Fever second and third chances.

The Fever keep losing Alyssa Thomas, which is not even close to a good idea.

Clark subbing back in after two minutes of game action on the bench. Still a one-possession game.

Sun are doing a good job of limiting the Fever in transition and it helps the Fever are 2-8 from 3. DeWanna Bonner (4-6 overall, 2-2 from 3, 10 points) and Alyssa Thomas (3-6, 6 points) leading the Sun offense.

Sides doing a defensive stance drill down the Fever bench and an assistant comes over to step in front of her. De-escalation committee, coach edition.

Where's the de-escalation committee?!?! Christie Sides is called for a technical. The Fever bench was irate at an out-of-bounds call on Lexie Hull right in front of them.

Clark scores her first points of the game driving past Mabrey under the basket. She stepped in for a steal on the prior possession and is up to three assists with zero turnovers.

Ty Harris is down near the Fever bench after drawing a foul closing out on Lexie Hull. She's being. helped off the court and through the tunnel without putting much weight on her right leg. Marina Mabrey, the Sun's midseason acquisition, will come in. It's a 10-6 Sun lead less than four minutes into the game. Really clunky start to this game.

Clark talked a lot yesterday and today about the Fever's growth in confidence over the course of the season from opening their season here to now the playoffs. That's going to rise massively in-game if Clark drains an early 3. It's always gotten her going. Both attempts have been in-and-out, turning into Sun points.

The last time the Fever were in the playoffs, Sun head coach Stephanie White (an Indiana native) was head coach and Sun assistant Briann January was her point guard.

The Sun are year-in, year-out one of the league's best defenses from DiJonai Carrington on the perimeter (she'll likely pick up Clark full-court) into Alyssa Thomas in the paint. One thing Connecticut head coach Stephanie White said yesterday after practice stood out as the key to this series.

"Look, we're a great defensive team, but good offense always beats good defense. We position ourselves with our defense every single game to win ball games. We've got to be good on the offensive end of the floor. We've got to score. This is a team that scores at a high clip. We've got to make sure that we're scoring with them. So we got to make our easy ones."

She wants to see the Sun make their open shots, layups and free throws, specifically, after not doing a good job of it in the loss to Indiana

Hello from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The Fever entered to loud applause from a crowd expected to be heavy Fever fans, as has been the standard for them this season. But the Sun's entrance is still louder. Fans have orange rally towels reading "Any team, any time."