Sports
How Far Can Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever Go in 2024 WNBA Playoffs?
The WNBA playoff schedule is set, and the Indiana Fever’s path is laid out. On Sunday, Cailtin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston and co. will face the Connecticut Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, in Game 1 of the postseason on ABC at 3 p.m. ET.
After a stellar rookie campaign that saw Clark break several records and help the Fever make the playoffs for the first time since 2016, the question on a lot of folks’ minds now is this: How far can Clark and Indiana go in the postseason?
If the second half of the regular season is any indication, the second round seems like a real possibility. And once the Fever get there, it’s all about matchups in an anything-can-happen postseason tournament.
Consider that the Fever went 9-5 after the Olympic break, a stretch that included a five-game winning streak with triumphs over fellow playoff-bound teams like the Atlanta Dream and Indiana’s next opponent, the Sun. The Fever seem like a new team after that time off in late July and early August and have elevated their game. Indiana leads the WNBA in field goal percentage (45.6), effective field goal percentage (52.3) and is second in total points scored. Simply put, there isn’t a team in the league that the Fever can’t keep up with offensively.
It’s a unit led by Clark, who has continued to draw in new eyeballs to the WNBA this season with her absolutely electric play. The 2024 regular season was the most-viewed ever on ESPN platforms with an average of 1.2 million viewers per game; the All-Star game drew a record 3.4 million viewers; and a game between the Fever and the Las Vegas Aces on Sept. 11 drew 678,000 viewers, making it the most-viewed WNBA game ever on NBATV. Much of the data for increased attention and viewership in the WNBA points in Clark’s direction, which is why Indiana vs. Connecticut is getting the ABC treatment on Sunday, with all other games aired on ESPN. Excuse the suits at Disney if you find them rooting for the Fever.
Clark, of course, has backed up the hype with her play.
She’ll likely win the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year award and could find herself voted to the All-WNBA First Team, both of which would be deserved honors. Clark averaged a league-leading 8.4 assists per game this season along with 19.2 points and 5.7 rebounds. She also led the WNBA in 3-pointers made with 122, or 3.1 per game. For some perspective, consider that the great Sheryl Swoopes averaged north of 19.2 points per game just once in her 12 seasons in the WNBA and never posted more than 4.3 assists per game.
That assists figure puts Clark in elite and exclusive company. Only Ticha Penicheiro and Courtney Vandersloot have ever averaged eight dimes or more in a single season. And no player in the history of the WNBA, which began in 1997, has ever posted per game averages of at least 19 points and eight assists in the same year.
But what makes the Fever a threat to make a potentially deep playoff run is more than just Clark. In the second half of the season, her teammates have stepped up in a big way. Remember, Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston were both all-stars alongside Clark. Mitchell is averaging 19.6 points per game this season and just dropped 30 points in a win over the Dallas Wings on Sunday. Boston is averaging 14.1 points and 9.1 boards per game and has shown that—in addition to being a defensive anchor for the Fever—she can score in bunches too, like when she scored 30 points in a Sept. 8 win over the Dream.
A game that could be a sign of things to come for the Fever is their Aug. 28 win over the Sun, which saw five Indiana players score in double figures for a well-balanced scoring attack that led to an 84-80 triumph. Lexie Hull was crucial in that game for Indiana, knocking down four 3-pointers.
Should the Fever get past the Sun in the first round, they might bump their heads against their ceiling. Since the Olympic break, Indiana is 0-2 against the second-seeded Minnesota Lynx with a pair of double-digit losses, and the Fever are 0-4 on the year against the two-time reigning champs, the Aces. Before the break, Indiana went 1-3 against the top-seeded New York Liberty.
But if the WNBA postseason is anything like March Madness, we know there are no limits on the destination with Clark in the driver’s seat.
Sports
Artemi Panarin back in New York as Kings meet Rangers
Feb 25, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Kings left wing Artemi Panarin (72) during a stoppage in play in the first period at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Artemi Panarin will get his first chance to face his former team when the New York Rangers host the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night.
In a cost-cutting move, Panarin was traded to Los Angeles from New York on Feb. 4 in exchange for forward prospect Liam Greentree and a conditional third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
The Kings immediately signed the 34-year-old forward to a two-year, $22 million contract extension through the 2027-28 season.
Panarin spent 6 1/2 seasons with the Rangers, leading them in points in each of his first six full seasons and ranking ninth in points (607) and eighth in assists (402) on the franchise’s all-time list.
He owns the franchise record for highest points-per-game average (1.26).
Panarin has 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in 10 games with the Kings so far.
He had his first three-point game for Los Angeles on Saturday on the road against the New Jersey Devils, tallying a goal and two assists. But the Kings lost 6-4 to prevent them from winning two in a row for the first time since a three-game winning streak Jan. 20-27.
Still, the Kings entered Sunday just one point out of the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
“Every guy in that room knows where we want to go and we’ve got to push and give ourselves a win (on Monday),” Kings interim coach D.J. Smith said.
Kings forward Anze Kopitar scored two goals against New Jersey to become the team’s all-time leading point scorer (1,308), surpassing Marcel Dionne, who held the record for 45 years. It was the future Hall of Famer’s first multi-goal effort of the season.
“We’re right in the thick of things right now, so there’s not a whole lot of time to think about that,” Kopitar said of the record.
The Kings beat the Rangers 4-3 in Los Angeles on Jan. 20 and they’ll be trying to finish 4-0 against the New York teams this season.
The Rangers won their season-high fourth game in a row on Saturday, getting 46 saves from Igor Shesterkin and a goal and two assists from former Los Angeles defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov in a 4-2 win at the Minnesota Wild.
“We were playing a north-south game. We were playing a straight-ahead game,” Rangers coach Mike Sullivan said. “I think when we play fast, we are fast.”
The Rangers, who were shut out in three of their first five games this season, have scored at least four goals in every game during the winning streak, but still sit 25th in the league at 2.82 goals per game.
“For a lot of the first half of the year, we couldn’t see the puck go in the net,” New York captain J.T. Miller said. “Right now, we’re executing on a lot of the plays. Obviously, we’ve got some guys stepping up and playing really well also. Just high execution. Finally getting those pucks to go in the net that we were missing in the first half of the year.”
The Rangers will play 11 of their next 13 games at home before finishing the season on a three-game road trip.
Not enough time to get back in the playoff race, but enough to set a positive tone for next season.
“There’s a good feeling around here right now,” Miller said. “It’s been a hard year but feels good to win some games and try to string some together.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Novak Djokovic (shoulder) withdraws from upcoming Miami Open
Novak Djokovic runs up to defend against Jack Draper during their fourth-round match at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., Wednesday, March 11, 2026. Six-time Miami Open champion Novak Djokovic withdrew from this year’s tournament due to a right shoulder ailment, the event announced Sunday.
Djokovic reached the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open this past week at Indian Wells, Calif., before falling to Jack Draper in a third-set tie-breaker on Wednesday.
The Serbia native reached the finals at Miami last year before losing 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4) to Jakub Mensik of the Czech Republic.
The 38-year old won the Miami Open title in five times between 2011 and 2016, defeating Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray on two occasions apiece.
Djokovic is 7-2 in 2016 and won his 101th ATP title in November 2025 at Athens.
The Miami Open begins Wednesday.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Contending Wings eye turnaround at home vs. lowly Flames
Mar 8, 2026; Newark, New Jersey, USA; Detroit Red Wings left wing Lucas Raymond (23) and New Jersey Devils center Nico Hischier (13) fight in the final seconds of the second period at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Salus-Imagn Images The struggling Detroit Red Wings are hoping a return home and a visit by the floundering Calgary Flames on Monday will be just the tonic needed to turn their fortunes.
The Red Wings hold the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card position, but after suffering a 3-2 overtime loss to the Dallas Stars on Saturday have lost five of their past six games (1-3-2) to put their perch in jeopardy.
“We’re so excited to get home to Detroit … and play in front of our fans,” said forward Lucas Raymond, who leads the Red Wings with 45 assists and is tied for the lead in points with 66. “We’ve had some stretches down the year where we’ve been pushing for a playoff spot and that just elevates the crowd.”
Detroit, which is pushing to avoid missing the playoffs for a 10th consecutive season, is in a tight battle.
The Red Wings are tied with the Boston Bruins, who hold the first wild-card spot but have played one fewer game. Detroit is also two points back of the Montreal Canadiens for third spot in the Atlantic Division, but only one point ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets, who are just outside the wild-card spots.
The Red Wings have struggled without captain Dylan Larkin and fellow center Andrew Copp due to injuries, but did receive a boost with forward David Perron returning from injury against the Stars.
The Dallas clash ended earning the Red Wings a point in the standings, but was a wasted opportunity after they erased a two-goal deficit in the third period, but could not get a winning goal.
“A good battle back. Lots going on recently, obviously, but we found a way. We kept pushing,” Perron said. “It was nice to get rewarded as a group to have one point there.”
The Flames arrive after suffering a 3-2 loss of their own at the New York Islanders on Saturday.
Calgary, which is ahead of only the Vancouver Canucks in the overall standings and in the throes of a rebuild, trailed 3-0 before the end of the first period, but controlled play the rest of the way in a comeback that fell short.
Despite the end result, the Flames likely deserved a better fate, especially after firing 17 shots on net in the final period.
“When we made a mistake, they capitalized on it,” coach Ryan Huska said. “We also hit two crossbars and had a grade-A chance in front of the net. We progressively got better as the night went on.”
In keeping with a recurring theme, the Flames, who are the league’s lowest-scoring team, could not find the equalizer, which left them with only five wins in their last 17 games (5-10-2).
Despite their offensive struggles — the Flames have gone four games without a power-play goal, and only two man-advantage markers in 10 outings — they continue to battle in close games.
The message as they prepare for the final outing of a five-game road trip is to ignore the standings and keep battling for wins.
“There’s no quit from anyone here,” said captain Mikael Backlund, who moved ahead of Kent Nilsson with his 230th career goal and into fifth spot on the franchise’s all-time list. “All the guys are fighting hard. It doesn’t matter the score. We keep trying until the end. So I’m really proud of the guys.”
–Field Level Media
Artemi Panarin back in New York as Kings meet Rangers
Novak Djokovic (shoulder) withdraws from upcoming Miami Open
