Caitlin Clark will play in her first WNBA playoff game Sunday against the Connecticut Sun as she continues her historic rookie season.
She capped off her regular season with the WNBA’s highest-attended game ever. A crowd of 20,711 gathered in Washington, D.C. to watch Clark and the Fever face off against the Mystics on Thursday, according to the league.
While she had a slow start to the season, Clark soon returned to her dominating ways and transformed a struggling Indiana Fever team that had owned a lottery pick in the last seven drafts and the first overall pick in the last two.
When did the Indiana Fever last make the WNBA playoffs?
The Indiana Fever last made it to the WNBA playoffs in 2016.
When the Fever played their last playoff game:
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Clark was a freshman in high school.
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The Chicago Cubs hadn’t yet broken their 108-year World Series drought.
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Donald Trump had not yet been elected president.
Only one player from that playoff team is on this season’s roster: Erica Wheeler.
How has Caitlin Clark transformed the Indiana Fever?
By the time Clark joined the Fever, the team was full of talent. So, the fact that they’re finally playoff bound, shouldn’t be a surprise, according to Cindy Brunson, the play-by-play voice for the Phoenix Mercury.
“I think what’s really crazy is not just Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston, right? It’s Kelsey Mitchell, so with Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark, you have the last two Big 10 record holders for 3-pointers made in a single season in the same back court. You add Lexie Hull, an elite defender who can score the basketball, and NaLyssa Smith,” Brunson told the Deseret News earlier this year before the season started.
Brunson added, “If Indiana doesn’t make the playoffs and make a deep run, heads are gonna roll — I don’t know from the coaching standpoint, maybe even the GM — because the talent is obviously there. All they have to do is avoid the injury bug, and that team is going to be special.”
Unsurprisingly, Clark has elevated the Fever’s offense, turning them into what Aces head coach Becky Hammon described as a “three-headed monster.”
“They’re a legit three-headed monster. You have to play defense against this team. Otherwise, they’re just too good offensively. We don’t want to get into a situation where we have to outscore them,” Hammon said in a presser earlier this month.
This is the first season since 2020 where Indiana has four players averaging double-digit points.
Indiana went from the seventh highest average points scored per game last season to the third highest in 2024, according to the WNBA. The Fever only trail defending champions the Las Vegas Aces and last year’s runner-up the New York Liberty.
Clark is tied with Mitchell for the title of Indiana’s scoring leader, averaging 19.2 points per game. She leads the team in assists and steals.
As a rookie, Clark leads the WNBA in assists per game (8.4) and three-pointers made (122) — the second-most ever in a single-season. She is the first player to lead in both categories.
Clark and Mitchell are tied for seventh in the league for points per game (19.2). The next closest rookie is Angel Reese in 28th.
What WNBA records did Caitlin Clark break?
Clark is no stranger to breaking records and chasing history, having become the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer earlier this year, as the Deseret News previously reported.
ESPN shared a comprehensive list of the WNBA records Clark has broken in her rookie season. Here are some of the highlights:
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Single-season league and rookie record for assists with 337.
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Single-season rookie record for three-pointers made with 122 — only seven shy of surpassing the league’s single-season record.
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Single-game record for assists with 19.
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Single-season rookie scoring record with 769 points.
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The fastest WNBA player ever to record 350 points and 150 assists in a season.
But, there is room for improvement. Clark leads the league in turnovers with 223 this season — 78 more than Alyssa Thomas in second place.
That’s the most ever turnovers by a WNBA player in a single-season. Clark set the record back in July before the Olympic break with 139.
When are Caitlin Clark’s WNBA playoff games
The Fever will play the Sun in a best of three series starting Sunday. The first two games will be played in Connecticut. If necessary, a third game will be played in Indiana.
Here is when and how you can watch Clark and the Fever’s playoff games:
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Game 1: Sunday, Sept. 22 at 1 p.m. MT. on ABC.
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Game 2: Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 5:30 p.m. MT. on ESPN.
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Game 3: Friday, Sept. 27 at TBD on ESPN 2.
