A lot of the eye in Recreation 1 of the first-round WNBA playoff sequence between the Indiana Fever and the Connecticut Solar centered round a pair of incidents involving Caitlin Clark and DiJonai Carrington.
In earlier matchups between the Solar and Fever, issues have gotten bodily, and Sunday’s sport was no totally different as the 2 exchanged seemingly inadvertent eye pokes. Clark bought hit close to her proper eye by Carrington within the first quarter, after which within the fourth body, Clark returned the favor, by accident knocking out Carrington’s contact.
It was all a part of a irritating day for Clark, who completed with simply 11 factors in 36 minutes of play in a 93-69 loss to the Solar. The unanimous AP WNBA Rookie of the Yr’s dissatisfaction together with her personal efficiency bubbled to the floor within the third quarter when she slapped a chair on the bench in anger.
“We didn’t play nicely, didn’t play to the extent we’re able to enjoying,” Clark mentioned. “We didn’t shoot the ball like we’re able to. We’re able to successful this sport.”
And of the exchanges with Carrington, Clark mentioned: “Obtained me fairly good within the eye. I don’t assume it affected me, actually. I felt like I bought good pictures, they simply didn’t go down. Clearly, a troublesome time for that to occur.”
No, Clark wasn’t going guilty her abysmal playoff debut on some powerful guarding from an opponent.
Moreover, if Clark had held Carrington answerable for why she shot 4-of-17 from the ground and 2-of-13 from 3-point land, she would’ve been choosing the fallacious Connecticut participant to carry accountable.
For almost all of the sport, the participant guarding Clark and making issues extraordinarily troublesome for her was 37-year-old DeWanna Bonner, who used her mixture of two issues that Clark doesn’t have—expertise and size—to make the rookie star’s first playoff sport an absolute nightmare.
Within the first half, Clark went 0-of-3 from the ground when Bonner was guarding her. When ESPN’s Holly Rowe relayed that stat to Bonner throughout an on-court interview, she had an applicable and memorable response.
“Let me knock on some wooden actual fast,” Bonner mentioned, bending over and tapping the court docket whereas letting out amusing. “As a result of she’s an excellent participant. I do know she’s going to return out within the second half able to go, so I bought to key in.”
Clark wasn’t all that higher within the second half although, going 3-of-8 from the ground with two turnovers. The play of Bonner was a giant purpose why.
For a lot of her profession, the Auburn product has been underrated as a defender, making an All-WNBA Defensive Crew simply as soon as—the second group in 2015. However this season, Bonner is posting a career-high in defensive win shares with 2.5, which is fifth-best within the WNBA. Her defensive score of 92.6 is the second-best she’s posted in her 15-year profession and is Eleventh-best within the league this season.
The a part of Bonner’s protection that hasn’t been undervalued over the course of her profession is her versatility and savviness. She’s guarded all types of gamers, from slashing wings to bruising facilities to sharpshooting guards. Clark was simply her newest sufferer.
The 6-foot-4 Bonner had a highlight-worthy block on Clark as she drove to the rim within the second quarter. She completed the sport with two blocks along with 22 factors, six rebounds and 5 assists. Alyssa Thomas posted a triple-double for the Solar within the win, but when there was an MVP of Recreation 1, the consideration ought to go to Bonner.
That Connecticut had Bonner guard Clark was a shock to many. Within the Solar’s earlier 4 matchups with the Fever, Carrington shouldered that project for almost all of these video games. However when the Fever lastly beat the Solar 84-80 of their final assembly behind Clark’s 19 factors and 5 assists, Connecticut knew it needed to try one other technique.
“They beat us final time, so we needed to do one thing totally different,” Bonner mentioned. “It was nothing behind it. They bought two nice guards, so any individual’s bought to step up and play protection, that’s the one method to beat them, so I simply took on the problem. She’s an excellent participant. I do know subsequent sport she’s going to return out firing.”
Certainly, that’s the duty at hand now for Bonner and the Solar: Can they stifle Clark once more to take the series-clinching win?
On Wednesday night, we’ll discover out.
