Caitlin Clark smashes MORE WNBA records on final night of the regular season – but Indiana Fever still lose
Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever may have lost their final game of the WNBA regular season, but it was still a historic night for the star player.
The Washington Mystics have moved Thursday night’s game against Indiana to the city’s Capital One Arena, home of the NBA’s Wizards, due to high demand for tickets.
It proved to be the right decision, as 20,711 fans, the largest attendance in WNBA history, showed up to watch them try to stop Clark and secure a spot in the playoffs.
Clark had a relatively quiet evening by her standards, recording just eight points, five rebounds and eight assists.
But that tally set her up for another record, making Clark the most points scored by a point guard in a single season in WNBA history.
Caitlin Clark set even more records Thursday night when the Indiana Fever played Washington, DC
20,711 fans — the largest crowd in WNBA history — showed up to see the Mystics play Clark
Clark had a mostly quiet evening, as the Fever had already advanced to the WNBA playoffs
She also passed WNBA legend Diana Taurasi for the second-most 3-pointers in a single season in WNBA history.
The Mystics needed a win and some help in Thursday’s regular-season finale to make the playoffs. They did the job, beating the Fever 92-91, but they fell out of playoff contention.
The Chicago Sky’s 87-54 loss to the Connecticut Sun sent the Atlanta Dream, who trailed by one game on Thursday, into the eighth and final playoff spot.
The Mystics nevertheless ended their season with perhaps their most impressive victory.
Washington trailed 20-2 midway through the first quarter, but came back early in the second quarter to tie the score at 24-24.
Ariel Atkins scored 11 points in the second quarter to give the Mystics a 52-45 lead at halftime.
Sika Kone finished the game with 20 points and seven rebounds off the bench for Washington, which led by 17 points in the second half before Indiana went on a 22-8 run to trail by just one point in the final minute.
The Fever, who are making their first playoff appearance since 2016, will face the Sun in a best-of-three series in the first round.