WNBA playoffs: Sun sweeps Caitlin Clark and Fever off the court and joins Lynx in the semifinals | WNBA

Alyssa Thomas and the Connecticut Sun were happy to finally complete an opening round at home in two games.

Thomas scored 19 points and 13 assists to help the Sun knock Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever out of the playoffs with an 87-81 win on Wednesday night.

Since the league changed its playoff format in 2022, the Sun have had to win a crucial third road game in the first round to advance, which they did both years. This time, they did it at home.

“We finally settled in and took advantage of the home-court advantage,” said Thomas, who had a triple-double in the first game. “We’re ready. We were tested tonight and it wasn’t pretty, but that’s the nature of the playoffs. We got a gutsy win. We’re hungry and ready. … We’re ready for what’s to come on the playoff journey.”

The third-seeded Sun will now face Minnesota in the semifinals, which begin on Sunday.

Clark played much better in Game 2 than she did in her postseason debut on Sunday. The AP Rookie of the Year finished with 25 points and nine assists, but it wasn’t enough.

“It’s obviously difficult, especially because we climbed all the way back and only had our chances at the end,” Clark said.

Aliyah Boston added 16 points and 19 rebounds. Her layup with 2:05 left gave Indiana a 77-75 lead, but DeWanna Bonner, who tied her WNBA record in her 82nd playoff game alongside Lindsay Whalen, answered with a three-pointer 14 seconds later.

Neither team was able to score on their next possessions until Marina Mabrey hit a three-pointer from the wing with 45.5 seconds left to give the Sun an 81-77 lead.

Kelsey Mitchell missed a three-pointer on the Fever’s next possession and the Sun tied the game with a free throw.

The Fever trailed by seven points at halftime, but scored the first seven points of the third quarter to tie the game. The teams traded baskets until Lexie Hull’s layup gave the Fever a 48-47 lead midway through the quarter.

However, that lead didn’t last long as Thomas took the lead and scored 10 points on a 14-4 run to end the quarter.

Clark brought the Fever back with her three-pointer to give the team a 71-70 lead with 3:59 left, and the teams traded baskets until Bonner hit a three-pointer.

Indiana got off to a fast start and was up 14-6 before the Sun scored the final 11 points of the first quarter to take a three-point lead. With 1:29 left in the quarter, Clark called a foul and alerted a referee to a fan sitting in the second row. The referee called security and had the person escorted to the back. The fan later returned and no further incidents occurred.

The run continued at the start of the second period, when Connecticut took a 26-16 lead on Carrington’s layup with 7:32 left in the half. The Sun led 41-34 at halftime. Carrington was honored before the game as the league’s most improved player.

On the last play of the half, Erica Wheeler attempted a layup to stop the buzzer and flew into the photographers on the sidelines. She lay on the ground for a few minutes before getting up and heading back to the locker room. Her left thumb was examined and she did not play in the second half.

Clark finished the half with 14 points, four rebounds and four assists.

The Sun were missing starting guard Tyasha Harris, who injured her ankle in Sunday’s win. Mabrey started in her place.

Phoenix Mercury 88-101 Minnesota Lynx

Napheesa Collier scored 42 points, setting the WNBA playoff record for most points in a game, and the Minnesota Lynx defeated the Phoenix Mercury 101-88 on Wednesday night.

Collier tied Breanna Stewart and Angel McCoughtry for the record 42 points when she made one of two free throws with 3:18 left in the fourth quarter. It was one of just two missed shots from the free throw line in 14 attempts for Collier, who was substituted with 58.3 seconds left.

Collier, who scored a career-high 38 points in Game 1, became the first player in WNBA history to score 38 or more points in two consecutive playoff games. She also set a WNBA record for most points (80) in the first two games of a playoff series. Collier scored 38 points in Game 2 with 5:55 left in the fourth quarter.

Minnesota will play again on Sunday against Connecticut, which advanced to the semifinals for the sixth consecutive year after an 87-81 win over Indiana on Wednesday morning.