Minnesota routed Indiana 86-66 on Thursday night, finalizing first-round matchups across the league.
The Minnesota Lynx routed the Indiana Fever 86-66 on Thursday night, pushing Indiana into the sixth seed for the WNBA playoffs after Caitlin Clark finished with a career-low two points.
Clark struggled to a 1-of-12 shooting night across 18 minutes as Indiana fell behind 62-32 by halftime. Following the loss, Clark said, “It is what it is.” Indiana also dealt with an injury to Aliyah Boston during the defeat.
Minnesota controlled the regular-season finale behind Kayla McBride, who scored 22 points while shooting 6 of 10 from 3-point range. Natasha Howard contributed 21 points, and Courtney Williams added nine points, seven rebounds and 10 assists. The Lynx played without point guard Olivia Miles, who missed her second consecutive game with a left calf injury.
The lopsided result came two days after Indiana beat Minnesota 96-77 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, where Clark posted 27 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and four steals. Despite that Tuesday loss, Minnesota clinched the top overall seed when Golden State lost to Portland that same night.
Postseason play begins Sunday, Sept. 27, with all eight playoff teams in action on the opening day. As the sixth seed, Indiana travels to face A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces, who are trying for back-to-back championships. Minnesota opens a best-of-three series against the eighth-seeded New York Liberty at Target Center in a rematch of the 2024 WNBA Finals. The Atlanta Dream enter as the fourth seed after beating New York on Wednesday.
