Connecticut had its usual balanced offense from the field in Game 1. Alyssa Thomas posted a triple-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists. She now owns four of the six triple-doubles in WNBA playoff history, and her last came on the day she finished fifth in MVP voting, one spot behind Caitlin Clark.

Thomas’s fiancée, DeWanna Bonner, was equally productive. She was tasked with defending Clark and was excellent against the freshman, preventing her from getting left to her stepback and swallowing Clark’s drives. Bonner had 22 points, five assists and two blocks, and the Sun were a game-high plus-22 in her minutes.

Connecticut also had some unexpected success from beyond the three-point line. Marina Mabrey — who got more playing time in the first half due to an injury to Ty Harris — found her rhythm in the third quarter and finished with five three-pointers. The Sun finished the game with nine three-pointers as a team, just the 11th time all season that they’ve made at least eight in a game; they’re 10-1 when they reach that total from the three-point line.

Although the lead grew in the fourth quarter, Connecticut had control of the Fever by the middle of the second quarter. The Sun survived the initial flurry of their young opponent and then dominated the rest of the game in their usual fashion.