INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Caitlin Clark scored a career-high 35 points with eight assists, Kelsey Mitchell added 30 points and the duo combined to hit 12 of Indiana’s 16 3-pointers to help the Fever beat the Dallas Wings 110-109 on Sunday.
Clark, whose 329 assists are a single-season WNBA record, has a rookie-record 761 points this season, breaking the mark set by Seimone Augustus (744) in 2006.
Indiana (20-19), which was coming off back-to-back losses to the two-time defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces, clinched the No. 6 seed in the playoffs, which begin next Sunday. The Fever will play the third-seeded Connecticut Sun, who won three of the four regular-season matchups between the teams, in the first round.
LYNX 88, LIBERTY 79
NEW YORK (AP) — Bridget Carleton scored 19 points and Minnesota beat New York to keep alive their chances at the top seed in the WNBA playoffs.
Napheesa Collier added 18 points and 13 rebounds for Minnesota (29-9), which needs to win its final two games and have New York (31-7) lose both to earn the top seed. The Lynx extended their lead over the Connecticut Sun for the No. 2 seed.
The Lynx came into Sunday with a one-game lead over the Sun, who played Las Vegas later in the day. Connecticut and Minnesota play on Tuesday for the final time in the regular season and the Sun already hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Breanna Stewart had a huge effort in the loss with 38 points and 18 rebounds. She had 17 of those points in the fourth quarter.
DREAM 76, MYSTICS 73, OT
WASHINGTON (AP) — Tina Charles had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Naz Hillmon made the go-ahead shot in overtime and Atlanta defeated Washington to stay alive in the WNBA playoff chase.
Hillmon’s 22-footer as the shot clock expired gave Atlanta a 74-73 lead with 1:35 remaining in overtime and Rhyne Howard hit two free throws with 59 seconds left for the game’s final points.
Emily Engstler’s 3-pointer gave the Mystics the early lead in overtime, 73-70 with 4 1/2 minutes remaining, but they did not score again. Their final two shots were desperation 3-point airballs.
MERCURY 93, SKY 88
CHICAGO (AP) — Brittney Griner scored 26 points, Diana Taurasi added 25 and Phoenix held off Chicago.
The loss, Chicago’s eighth in the last 10 games, leaves the Sky (13-25) in a tie with Washington and Atlanta in the battle for the league’s eighth playoff spot. Chicago plays at Atlanta on Tuesday with the winner having the upper hand for the final playoff spot. Washington hosts league-leading New York on Tuesday.
Taurasi hit two jumpers off the dribble and Griner rolled through the paint for a layup, giving Phoenix a 91-86 lead with less than two minutes remaining. Phoenix forced the Sky into a number of difficult shots before Rachel Banham drew a foul on a 3-point try with 7.6 seconds remaining.
Banham made two free throws for a 91-88 deficit. The Mercury’s Sophie Cunningham made two free throws for a five-point lead and the Mercury forced Chicago into a difficult shot as time expired.
ACES 84, SUN 71
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A’ja Wilson became the first WNBA player to score 1,000 points in a season when she had 29 in Las Vegas’ win over Connecticut.
Wilson hit a pull-up from the elbow with 2 minutes left in the game to reach the mark. Earlier this week, the Aces’ star broke the single-season scoring record that Jewell Loyd set last year. Las Vegas called timeout about 30 seconds later and her teammates mobbed Wilson.
She then went out on the court and acknowledged a loud ovation from the crowd clapping her hands.
The Aces (25-13) hold a one-game lead over Seattle for the No. 4 seed in the playoffs and home-court advantage in that series. Las Vegas has won seven of its last eight games.
Connecticut (27-11) trails the Minnesota Lynx by two games for the No. 2 seed. The two teams play in Connecticut on Tuesday.
STORM 90, SPARKS 87
SEATTLE (AP) — Skylar Diggins-Smith scored 19 points, including four free throws in the final minute, and Seattle edged Los Angeles.
The Storm (24-14) led by double digits for most of the game until Los Angeles (7-31) rallied in the second half.
Dearica Hamby scored 11 points in the third quarter and the Sparks chipped away at a 14-point halftime deficit to trail 73-65 heading to the fourth.
The Sparks stayed hot early in the final period and Rickea Jackson’s layup got them within 79-77 with less than five minutes remaining. A layup by Odyssey Sims tied it at 79 and she scored again on LA’s next possession for the Sparks’ first lead since it was 4-2.
Hamby connected on two free throws for the Sparks’ last lead, 87-86 with 1:11 remaining, but they did not score again. Diggins-Smith, who made all 10 of her free throws, finished it off at the free-throw line.
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