How the Sun beat Caitlin Clark and the Fever to open the WNBA playoffs

Connecticut Sun looked like the experienced, veteran team that they are, and the Indiana Fever offense struggled against the team with the best defensive rating in the WNBA. The result was a 93-69 Connecticut blowout victory on Sunday in the Fever's first playoff game since 2016.

By contrast, the Sun are making their eighth consecutive playoff appearance, after advancing to the WNBA Finals in 2019 and 2022. Forward Alyssa Thomas has been with Connecticut for that entire stretch and on Sunday recorded her fourth career playoff triple-double.

The Sun shut down Indiana guards Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell, who averaged 19.2 points during the regular season. Connecticut put veteran DeWanna Bonner on Clark (a matchup the Sun didn't use in their four regular-season games against the Fever) and that set the tone for the game.

Clark shot 1 of 9 from the field in the first half, including 0 of 7 against the 6-foot-4 Bonner as the primary defender. The Fever trailed 46-38 at halftime and things got worse in the second half.

How did the Sun manage to dominate the Fever and what does that mean for this best-of-three series?

How DeWanna Bonner disrupted Caitlin Clark in the first half

Charlie Cream: Bonner's height bothers most of the offensive players she faces, and it seemed to affect the 6-foot-1 Clark. It was a good decision by coach Stephanie White, as there's no question that Bonner was solid defensively.

But I'm not ready to declare Bonner the magic potion for the Sun against Clark. Clark didn't shoot the ball well against any of the defenders Connecticut threw at her (six total in the first half) despite getting good chances, including against Bonner. Clark finished 4 of 17 from the field, and two of those field goals (a 3-pointer and a layup) early in the second half came with Bonner guarding her.

Connecticut's strategy of using multiple defenders and different positions is what really affected Clark's tough shooting performance. No doubt White will employ something similar in Game 2 (7:30 p.m. ET Wednesday, ESPN).

Michael Voepel: Here’s what Bonner does: She uses her height, experience and knowledge. Bonner played in her first WNBA Finals as a rookie in 2009. Clark was 7 at the time. Bonner was the fifth pick in a successful 2009 draft class in which nine players competed at least 10 seasons in the WNBA. Bonner is the last player still in the league, in her 15th season. Her championships came with Phoenix in 2009 and 2014.

While this was the first time this season that Bonner was assigned to Clark, there isn't a type of player (from point guards to centers) she hasn't defended over the years. At 37, she just posted a career-best defensive win total of 3.1, fifth in the WNBA behind MVP A'ja Wilson's 3.8.

Charlie is right: Clark didn't shoot well, period, regardless of who was guarding her up close or whether anyone was. Clark and Mitchell each shot 4-of-23 from beyond the arc. How out of line was that? Clark led the WNBA this season in 3-pointers made (122) and Mitchell ranked fourth (109). But credit the Sun's defense as a whole and the individual defenders for disrupting the Fever's rhythm and never allowing them to get comfortable.

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Caitlin Clark gets hit in the face

Caitlin Clark takes a hit to the face from Dijonai Carrington, but remains in the game for the Fever.

Significant midseason trades are rare in the WNBA. How important was Marina Mabrey on Sunday?

Cream: Mabrey was the X-factor in the Sun’s victory. The trade to acquire her on July 17 was as brilliant as it is rare to see a midseason move like this. The Sun’s biggest hole was a true perimeter shooting threat, and Mabrey filled it. She’s been a double-digit scorer in all but two games since arriving in Connecticut, but Sunday was her best game. Her 27 points were the most off the bench in a WNBA playoff game, and she was the catalyst in the decisive end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth quarter. Mabrey’s four 3-pointers from the 6:33 mark of the third quarter until 6:38 left in the fourth quarter averaged 26.5 feet. The Sun’s lead went from 6 to 18 in that span.

Voice: It was clear that Mabrey was ready to leave Chicago midseason and wanted to move. Connecticut was the perfect place for her, both for her skills and her personality. Mabrey plays with an old-school competitive spirit that fits with players like Bonner and Thomas. And her perimeter shooting and versatility as a shooting guard or point guard are valuable.

Mabrey was the last of Notre Dame’s five starters from the Irish’s 2019 national runner-up team to be drafted, taken 19th overall in the second round by Los Angeles. She was traded the following year to Dallas and spent three seasons there before being dealt in 2023 to the Sky. The Sun are her fourth team in her six WNBA seasons, but it’s the one that really seems like the best fit for her.

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Sun crowd erupts in celebration of big Game 1 win over Fever

Dijonai Carrington hypes up the crowd as the Sun receive a standing ovation for their Game 1 playoff win over Caitlin Clark and the Fever.

What should the Fever do on Wednesday in Game 2 to avoid being eliminated?

Voice: The Fever aren't a great defensive team, but at their best they defend well enough to get their transition game going. That's when they can take off like a runaway train. We didn't see that on Sunday.

Of course, it's a truth in basketball that the worse you shoot, the harder it can be to defend. And that's especially true for a team that gets so much energy from having fun on offense. Sunday's game was anything but fun for the Fever. But they tend to respond well to playing poorly in a game, and they know it's all on the line on Wednesday.

Cream: The easy answer is to get more open shots. Indiana's offense worked well (Clark had eight assists and tied a season low with just two turnovers) and created space. The Fever simply didn't shoot well, especially Clark and Kelsey Mitchell. If those two don't make jumpers, Indiana won't beat the league's best teams. Indiana came into the game as the WNBA's best team in shooting percentage (45.6%) but shot 40.3% on Sunday. The Fever's especially disheartening 6-of-28 from 3-point range was the real downfall, with Clark and Mitchell combining to go 4-of-23 from 3-point range.

Indiana will also have to do more on defense. The Sun shot 49.3% from the field and made half of their 18 3-point attempts. Contrast that to the team's last meeting, an 84-80 win over the Fever on Aug. 28, when Connecticut hit 8 of 24 3-pointers. Mitchell was also outstanding and efficient in that game, scoring 23 points on 8 of 14 shooting. Indiana will need that type of performance from its co-leading scorer to avoid elimination.