WNBA playoffs: Sun sweep aside Caitlin Clark and Fever to join Lynx in last four
Alyssa Thomas and the Connecticut Sun were happy to finally close out the first round of the series in two games at home.
Thomas had 19 points and 13 assists to help the Sun knock Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever out of the playoffs with an 87-81 win on Wednesday night.
Since the league changed its playoff format in 2022, the Sun have had to win a decisive third game away in the first round to advance, which they did both years. This time, they did it at home.
“Finally locked in and took advantage of the home-field advantage,” said Thomas, who had a triple-double in the Game 1 victory. “We’re ready. Tested tonight and it wasn’t pretty, but that’s the nature of the playoffs. We got a gutsy win. We’re hungry and ready. … We’re ready for whatever the playoff journey brings.”
The third-seeded Sun will now face Minnesota in the semifinals, which begin Sunday.
Clark played much better in Game 2 than she did in her postseason debut Sunday. The AP Rookie of the Year finished with 25 points and nine assists, but it wasn’t enough.
βIt’s obviously a tough one, especially because we had to climb all the way back and we only got our chances late in the game,β Clark said.
Aliyah Boston added 16 points and 19 rebounds. Her layup with 2:05 left gave Indiana a 77-75 lead, but DeWanna Bonner, playing in her WNBA-record-tying 82nd playoff game to tie Lindsay Whalen, answered with a 3-pointer 14 seconds later.
Neither team scored again in the next few attacks until Marina Mabrey hit a three-pointer from the wing with 45.5 seconds left to give the Sun an 81-77 lead.
Kelsey Mitchell missed a three-pointer on the Fever’s next attack and the Sun decided the game from the free-throw line.
Trailing by seven points at halftime, the Fever scored the first seven points of the third quarter to tie the game. The teams traded baskets until Lexie Hull’s layup gave the Fever a 48-47 lead midway through the period.
It didn’t last long as Thomas took over, scoring 10 points during a 14-4 run to close out the quarter.
Clark brought the Fever back with her three-pointer, giving the team a 71-70 lead with 3:59 left. The teams traded points until Bonner made a three-pointer.
Indiana started fast, leading 14-6 before the Sun scored the final 11 points of the first quarter to take a three-point lead. With 1:29 left in the quarter, Clark called a fan sitting in the second row to an official after a foul, who called security and had the person escorted to the back. The fan later returned and there were no further incidents.
The run continued from the second half when Connecticut took a 26-16 lead on Carrington’s layup with 7:32 left in the half. The Sun led 41-34 at halftime. Carrington was honored as the league’s Most Improved Player before the game.
On the final play of the half, Erica Wheeler went for a layup to beat the buzzer and flew into the courtside photographers. She was on the floor for a few minutes before getting up and walking back to the locker room. Her left thumb was checked and she did not return for the second half.
Clark finished the first half with 14 points, four rebounds and four assists.
The Sun were without starting guard Tyasha Harris, who injured her ankle in Sunday’s win, with Mabrey starting in her place.
Phoenix Mercury 88-101 Minnesota Lynx
Napheesa Collier scored 42 points to tie the WNBA playoff record for points in a single game as the Minnesota Lynx defeated the Phoenix Mercury 101-88 on Wednesday night.
Collier tied Breanna Stewart and Angel McCoughtry for the 42-point record when she made 1 of 2 free throws with 3:18 left in the fourth quarter. It was one of only two misses from the free-throw line in 14 attempts for Collier, who was substituted with 58.3 seconds left.
Collier, who scored a career-high 38 points in Game 1, became the first player in WNBA history with 38-plus points in back-to-back playoff games. She also set a WNBA record for most points (80) in the first two games of a playoff series. Collier reached 38 points in Game 2 with 5:55 left in the fourth.
Minnesota will play Connecticut again on Sunday, which advanced to the semifinals for the sixth straight time after an 87-81 win over Indiana earlier on Wednesday.