East No. 6-seed Fever face two games at No. 3-seed Connecticut in best-of-3 series that starts Sunday

Sep. 19, 2024 8:11 pm, Updated: Sep. 20, 2024 8:36 am

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) drives on Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington (21) in their Aug. 28 game in Indianapolis. The two teams square off in the first round of the WNBA playoffs, starting Sunday in Uncasville, Conn. (Michael Conroy/Associated Press)

The WNBA playoffs are set, and here’s what to know if you’re following.

The playoffs take the eight teams with the best records in the 12-team league regardless of divisions. The teams with the better records have two home games in the best-of-three first-round series. If a third game is necessary, it will be played at the other team’s home.

Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever team will play at the Connecticut Sun Sunday at 2 p.m. (CT) on ABC, and will play there again Wednesday (6:30 p.m., ESPN). If a third game is required, it would be in Indianapolis next Friday night.

Washington beat Indiana Thursday night in front of a WNBA regular-season record crowd of 20,711 in Washington’s Capital One Arena. Clark played just 20 minutes as Indiana didn’t overwork its starters.

The rookie from Iowa had eight points and eight assists to end her regular-season with averages of 19.2 points, 8.4 assists and 5.7 rebounds. Clark made 122 three-pointers and had 337 assists, WNBA single-season records.

Indiana was 20-20, its first non-losing season since 2016, the last time it made the playoffs.

The Fever lost their first three games against Connecticut (28-12) this season, then beat the Sun 84-80 in Indianapolis on Aug. 28.

WNBA playoffs first-round pairings

No. 8 Atlanta vs. No. 1 New York

No. 5 Seattle vs. No. 4 Las Vegas (Megan Gustafson, Kate Martin of Iowa)

No. 7 Phoenix vs. No. 2 Minnesota (Bridget Carleton, Iowa State)

No. 6 Indiana (Caitlin Clark, Iowa) vs. No. 3 Connecticut

WNBA playoffs first-round TV schedule

All times Central.

Sunday, Sept. 22 (Game 1)

Atlanta at New York, noon (ESPN)

Indiana at Connecticut, 2 p.m. (ABC)

Phoenix at Minnesota, 4 p.m. (ESPN)

Seattle at Las Vegas, 9 p.m. (ESPN)

Tuesday, Sept. 24 (Game 2)

Atlanta at New York, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Seattle at Las Vegas, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Wednesday, Sept. 25 (Game 2)

Indiana at Connecticut, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Phoenix at Minnesota, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Thursday, Sept. 26 (Game 3)

*New York at Atlanta, TBD (ESPN2)

*Las Vegas at Seattle, TBD (ESPN2)

Friday, Sept. 27 (Game 3)

*Connecticut at Indiana, TBD (ESPN2)

*Minnesota at Phoenix, TBD (ESPN2)

*If necessary