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Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever looked like they didn’t belong on the same court as the Connecticut Sun in Game 1 of their playoff series on Sunday. The playoff-hardened Sun showed the Fever, whose starters have never been to the postseason, the big difference between playoff and regular season basketball.
Connecticut’s intensity, pressure and execution were too much for Indiana to overcome. The Sun’s 93-69 win was a whipping handed to the visitors in Clark’s WNBA debut. Indiana also had no answer for Connecticut in that game, losing 92-71.
The final scores are almost the same, but the No. 3 seeded Sun played Clark differently in the playoffs.
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3 factors that made Caitlin Clark struggle in Game 1 of the Fever-Sun series
#3 DeWanna Bonner started on Caitlin Clark
Right off the bat, Connecticut showed something new for the rookie sensation. Indiana won the tip-off and unsurprisingly gave the Rookie of the Year winner the ball. Instead of Dijonai Carrington, Clark’s primary defender in four matchups against the Sun, it was the 6-foot-4 DeWanna Bonner who got that assignment.
Bonner’s length and mobility seemed to force Clark to think about how to attack the Sun's defense. The six-time All-Star defended Clark as well as anybody in the WNBA. Bonner kept the former Iowa star at arm’s length, using her mobility to stay in front of the point guard.
#2 Connecticut sent more aggressive help defense
When Clark attempted to attack the basket, the Connecticut Sun aggressively sent help defense. The collapsing defense wasn’t just designed to stop her from scoring but also to choke her entry passes.
Sun defenders didn’t hesitate to corral Clark, particularly along the baseline when she tried to penetrate. Indiana has superb shooters like Kelsey Mitchell and Lexie Hull.
However, when the point guard had a tough time distributing the ball, the offense stuttered. It didn’t help that Mitchell missed a few open shots from deep.
#1 Connecticut forced Caitlin Clark to play defense
In the first quarter, the Sun repeatedly switched to put Caitlin Clark on DeWanna Bonner. The strategy worked, as Bonner got off to a hot start and kept the rookie from having downtime on the defensive end. The wily Bonner punished Clark on a handful of occasions.
Marina Mabrey also had her turn trying to score against Clark. Mabrey isn’t the most athletic but is an excellent shooter and caused problems for Indiana’s superstar in the post.
Caitlin Clark also had an off night scoring the ball, but the way the Connecticut Sun played her likely had an impact on her struggles. She got her eye poked early, but she dismissed it as reason for her struggles. If she's fine, fans can expect a big bounce-back game from Clark.
