UNCASVILLE, Conn. — On May 14, the Connecticut Sun hosted No. 1 draft pick Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever in their 2024 season opener, comfortably winning by 21 and enjoying a triple-double from star Alyssa Thomas.
Over four months later, Sunday’s Game 1 of their first-round playoff series featured similar beats: Connecticut used a big fourth quarter and another Thomas triple-double to take Game 1 93-69 in what was Clark’s WNBA playoff debut and the Fever franchise’s first postseason game since 2016.
The result marked the largest playoff loss in Fever history.
The Sun showed why they boast the top defensive rating in the league, holding Clark — who earlier in the day came in fourth in MVP voting — to 11 points on 4-for-17 shooting (2-for-13 on 3-pointers). Backcourt mate Kelsey Mitchell led the Fever in scoring with 21 points but also struggled from the arc (2-for-10).
Clark, who generated more offense than any other player in the league this season, faced a different…
