DiJonai Carrington reacts to special moment with girlfriend NaLyssa Smith after first-round win: "10 toes down for you"

Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington shared a lovely moment with her girlfriend, Indiana Fever's NaLyssa Smith after their first-round playoff clash concluded on Wednesday with an 87-81 Sun victory.

The matchup was intense, especially in a back-and-forth fourth quarter where the lead shifted multiple times. Fueled by key performances from DeWanna Bonner and Marina Mabrey, the Sun fended off a strong Fever comeback and secured the win.

Despite the heated competition throughout the series, DiJonai Carrington and Smith still shared a sweet moment after the game.

Carrington took to X (formerly Twitter) to express her love and support for Smith, while also seemingly hinting at her desire for her girlfriend to leave Indiana.

"10 toes down for you❤️🤞🏽 #FreeHer," Carrington posted.

Smith, who averaged 10.6 points and 7.1 rebounds in 24.8 minutes per game during the regular season, played fewer than nine minutes and didn’t score in the Fever’s 83-69 loss in Game 1.

In Game 2, she was benched, finishing scoreless again after just four minutes on the court. During the regular season, Smith had been a starter in 37 of the Fever’s 40 games.

Meanwhile, DiJonnai Carrington was huge for the Sun in their victorious first-round campaign. She tallied 14 points, five rebounds and three assists while shooting 50% from the field in Game 1, which Connecticut won convincingly, 93-69.

Carrington reached double digits again on Wednesday, with 10 points and four rebounds in the Sun's series-clinching Game 2 win.

What's next for DiJonai Carrington and NaLyssa Smith this season following Fever exit

DiJonai Carrington and NaLyssa Smith have been together since 2020, when they were both teammates at Baylor. However, different short-term futures await them following their latest clash in the WNBA.

Dijonai Carrington and the Sun are set to meet the Minnesota Lynx in the semifinals. The Sun won two of their three regular-season games against the Lynx, who advanced after a dominant sweep over the Phoenix Mercury.

The Lynx are one of the teams Carrington excels against. During the regular season, she averaged 13.3 points per game against them, marking her fourth-highest scoring average versus any team.

She also recorded 4.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game, shooting 41.2% from the field, 42.9% from beyond the arc and maintaining a perfect free-throw percentage.

Meanwhile, NaLyssa Smith is heading to China to play for WCBA team Zhejiang during the 2024-25 season.

The WCBA’s regular season runs from October to March, with the playoffs scheduled from March to April.