Sun eliminated Caitlin Clark and Fever to open the WNBA playoffs

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

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

The Sun shut down Indiana guards Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell, who both averaged 19.2 points in the regular season. Connecticut used veteran DeWanna Bonner against Clark – a matchup the Sun did not use in their four regular season games against the Fever – and set the tone for the game.

Clark made 1 of 9 shots 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 even worse in the second half.

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

How did DeWanna Bonner disrupt Caitlin Clark in the first half?

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

But I'm not ready to declare Bonner the Sun's magic potion against Clark. Clark didn't throw the ball against anyone Connecticut put against her (six defenders total in the first half), although she looked good, even against Bonner. Clark made 4 of 17 field goals, and two of those field goals — a three-pointer and a layup — early in the second half came while Bonner was covering her.

Connecticut's strategy of using multiple defenders and different attacking tactics was the real reason for Clark's tough shooting performance. No doubt White will employ something similar in Game 2 (Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Michael Voepel: And that's what Bonner does: She uses her length, experience and skill. Bonner played in her first WNBA Finals as a rookie in 2009. Clark was 7 years old at the time. Bonner was the No. 5 pick in a successful 2009 draft class that produced nine players who played at least 10 seasons in the WNBA. Bonner is the last one still in the league, in her 15th season. She won her championships in 2009 and 2014 with the Phoenix Mercury.

Although Bonner was assigned to Clark for the first time this season, there isn't a player type — from point guards to centers — that Bonner hasn't defended over the years. At age 37, she just had the best win share total of her career: 3.1, good for fifth in the WNBA behind MVP A'ja Wilson's 3.8.

Charlie's right: Clark just wasn't shooting well, regardless of who was covering her well or if no one was. Clark and Mitchell combined to make 4 of 23 threes. How uncharacteristic was that? Clark led the WNBA in 3-pointers made this season (122) and Mitchell was fourth (109). But to Connecticut's credit, it disrupted the Fever's rhythm and never let them settle.

In the WNBA, significant in-season transfers are rare. How tall was Marina Mabrey on Sunday?

Cream: Mabrey was the X-factor in the Sun's win. The trade to get her on July 17 was as brilliant as it is rare to see such a move midseason. The Sun's biggest void was a true long-range shooting threat, and Mabrey has filled that void. She has scored in double figures in all but two games since arriving in Connecticut, but Sunday's performance 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 crucial late third and early fourth quarters. Mabrey's four 3-pointers from the 6:33 mark of the third quarter to 6:38 left in the fourth averaged 26.5 feet. The Sun's lead grew from six to 18 points during that span.

Birds: It was clear that Mabrey was ready to leave the Chicago Sky midseason and wanted the move. Connecticut was the perfect place for her, both in terms of her skills and personality. Mabrey plays with an old-fashioned competitive spirit that fits with Bonner and Thomas. And her long-range shooting and versatility as a shooting guard or point guard are valuable.

Mabrey was the last of Notre Dame's five starters on the Fighting Irish's 2019 national championship runner-up team, selected No. 19 in the second round by the Los Angeles Sparks. She was traded to Dallas the following year and spent three seasons with the Wings before being traded to the Sky in 2023. The Sun are her fourth team in six WNBA seasons, but they seem to be the best fit for her.

What do the Fever have to do in Game 2 to avoid elimination?

Birds: The Fever are not a great defensive team. But at their best, they defend well enough to really get their transition game going. Then they can take off like a runaway train. We didn't see that on Sunday.

Of course, it's a basketball truth that the worse you shoot, the harder it is to defend. And that's especially true for a team that gets so much energy from having fun on offense. Sunday's game was no fun at all for the Fever. But they usually respond well to bad play and know that everything is on the line on Wednesday.

Cream: The simple answer is to make more open shots. Indiana's offense was running well (Clark had eight assists and tied a season-low two turnovers) and creating chances. The Fever just wasn't shooting well, especially Clark and Mitchell. If those two don't make jump shots, Indiana won't beat the better teams in the league. Indiana entered the game as the WNBA's best shooting team at 45.6%, but shot just 40.3% on Sunday. The Fever's particularly abysmal 6-of-28 three-point shooting percentage was the Fever's real downfall, with Clark and Mitchell combining for 17.4% from beyond the arc.

Indiana also needs to try harder on defense. The Sun hit 49.3% of their shots and half of their 18 three-pointers. Compare that to the last time the teams met, an 84-80 Fever win on Aug. 28, when Connecticut hit 8 of 24 three-pointers. Mitchell was excellent and efficient in that last game, scoring 23 points on 8 of 14 shooting. Indiana will need that kind of performance from its co-leading scorer to avoid elimination.