Caitlin Clark's debut and takeaways from WNBA's opening night

The 2024 WNBA season is here. Caitlin Clark's professional time is authoritatively underway. And the protecting winner Las Vegas Experts, Connecticut Sun, Unused York Freedom and Minnesota Lynx opened with triumphs Tuesday.

Clark and the Indiana Fever tipped off the season on the street, falling 92-71 at Connecticut, as Alyssa Thomas, the Sun's perpetual MVP candidate, counted a triple-double with 13 focuses, 10 bounce back and 13 assists.

Clark, the No. 1 choose in April's WNBA draft and the NCAA Division I all-time driving scorer, wrapped up with 20 focuses, 3 helps and 2 takes in her WNBA make a big appearance. But she battled much of the night, committing 10 turnovers and shooting 5-for-15 from the field and 4-for-11 on 3-pointers. At halftime, she had five turnovers and seven points.

Clark's 20 focuses positions moment in establishment history behind Lobby of Famer Tamika Catchings (23 in 2002) for a Fever player make a big appearance. Candace Parker had the most elevated point add up to for any WNBA player in her make a big appearance, with 34 in 2008. Among No. 1 picks in the past decade, Clark is moment to Breanna Stewart's 23 in 2016.

How did the Experts, Freedom, Lynx and Sun begin the season in the win column? How did unlucky deficiencies from harmed center Brittney Griner of the Phoenix Mercury and point protect Chelsea Gray of Las Vegas affect their diversions? And how did the Storm see with Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins-Smith making their Seattle debut?

ESPN breaks down opening night.

After a moderate begin, Clark warmed up late in the amusement but battled by and large. In which regions was she most uncovered? And what was most promising almost her master debut?

Voepel: It says something approximately how over-the-top the desires are for Clark that she had a team-high 20 focuses in her proficient make a big appearance but the execution will be characterized by numerous as a "battle," fundamentally for the turnovers.

That's to be anticipated, in spite of the fact that, for any rookie point protect, considering fair how much faster and experienced the defense is at this level.

Still, the turnovers have to be what will bother Clark most around her to begin with amusement, since they anticipated conceivable scoring openings for the Fever. Connecticut protect DiJonai Carrington made things difficult on Clark, who had eight of her turnovers against the fourth-year professional. Clark was too 2-of-10 shooting against Carrington.

Still, Clark didn't appear to lose certainty or animosity. That's key. Clark -- who played a team-high 31 minutes -- knew there was going to be a learning bend, as everything comes at youthful players exceptionally quick, particularly for one who will be taking care of the ball as much as she will. Clark will figure out how to superior calibrate her passing.

It's as it were one amusement, but what are the practical desires going forward for the Fever?

Voepel: Things worked best for Indiana in the moment and third quarters, when the Fever were able to hang with Connecticut. The Sun pulled absent in the fourth quarter, and that's something Fever coach Christie Sides will emphasize to her team.

There were a few genuine positives approximately how the Fever associated when they ran their offense well -- but with 25 turnovers, there were times that fair didn't happen.

So reasonably, they appeared they may execute at a tall level against a experienced squad that is anticipated to wrap up in the best four in the association. The Fever have a chance to hold their possess against groups that aren't very at the level of the Sun.

What do the Pros take absent from their opener as they dispatch their three-peat campaign?

Voepel: Gray's nonappearance -- the Pros won't say how long they anticipate her to be out with a foot harm -- was apparent in minutes, particularly when Las Vegas didn't assault Phoenix's zone as well as they needed in an 89-80 win.

"I think we have to get utilized to protections exchanging up as long as Chelsea's not out there," Pros coach Becky Hammon said. "They're gonna put weight on [us] to continually make peruses. It's a truly awesome development opportunity for the rest of the group -- whether that's organizing us, making reads."

Still, protect Jackie Youthful and Kelsey Plum combined for 42 focuses and 11 helps with fair three turnovers. And Wilson -- who looked in MVP frame in spite of being basic of herself for shooting 10 of 22 from the field -- appeared her authority on the court along with the huge stats she put up (30 focuses, 18 bounce back, five helps and three blocks).

"My message was fair that I think we misplaced locate of who we are since it's the to begin with amusement," Wilson said. "I feel like we were all fair attempting to put on that Superman cape. So I fair made a difference my partners get it that we can do that and still make each other better."

Why did the Storm battle obnoxiously after including All-Stars Diggins-Smith and Ogwumike?

Pelton: In an 83-70 domestic misfortune to Minnesota that saw them get outscored 20-10 in the fourth quarter, the Storm looked exceptionally much like a group with as it were two weeks of hone together. Seattle committed 17 turnovers and shot fair 37% from the field -- 31% after halftime.

"I think by and large, obnoxiously, we had no stream," Seattle coach Noelle Quinn said postgame. "We had no ball inversions. We made it simple for Minnesota to protect us. I would begin there. Unpalatably, we weren't in sync."

The result was as well numerous troublesome shots for Storm watch Jewell Loyd, whose 3-of-19 shooting (16%) was the most exceedingly bad precision ever by a Seattle player who took at slightest 15 shots, per ESPN Stats & Information.

According to Moment Range following, Loyd's evaluated shot quality of 34% -- the compelling field objective rate we'd anticipate based on the area of her shots, their sort and the separate to adjacent shields -- was the most reduced of any player with at slightest five endeavors on Tuesday.

After Loyd set a single-season WNBA record for add up to focuses final season (on a Storm group that wrapped up 11-29), the entry of Diggins-Smith and Ogwumike was gathered to alter that. But Quinn felt her group returned beneath weight from the Lynx and an opening night crowd.

"It astounded me but at that point it made sense to me since this is first-game environment, all those things," Quinn said. "You return back to your propensity and we have a few propensity building that needs to take put and it's difficult to break a few propensities in a week and a half."

One specific long-range concern: Seattle producing more 3-point endeavors. The Storm's one made triple was their least since the 2016 season opener (a 96-66 misfortune at Los Angeles in Stewart's WNBA make a big appearance) and their nine endeavors their least since 2019. Minnesota -- which got a combined 42 focuses and 20 bounce back from Napheesa Collier and Alanna Smith -- held a 21-3 advantage in scoring past the arc.

After losing their domestic opener, the Storm presently head on the street for a three-game street trip beginning Friday in Minneapolis. Ten of the team's to begin with 16 recreations will come absent from Seattle, something coach Noelle Quinn said pregame she likes.

"For this bunch in specific," Quinn said, "I think it's a extraordinary thing since we require to work out a few wrinkles and I like the truth that we can do it in a extreme environment."

Who stood out for the Connecticut Sun?

Voepel: Both the Sun (48.5%) and the Fever (48.0%) shot almost the same rate from the field, but Connecticut got 16 more shots and had 10 less turnovers. And whereas we have come to anticipate ever-enduring DeWanna Bonner (20 focuses, six bounce back) and Thomas to play well each amusement, it's moreover awesome for the Sun to see the advance of Tyasha Harris and Carrington in the backcourt. They combined for 32 focuses, additionally Sun save protect Rachel Banham had 10. Include Carrington's offense Tuesday to her uncommon work on defense, and she truly stood out on opening night.

And at that point there was the return of Brionna Jones, who endured a right Achilles harm final June. She had eight focuses and three bounce back, and the Sun are excited to have her back.

New York won its opener but required a fourth-quarter rally. What worked for the Liberty?

Voepel: The Freedom took advantage of a more grounded cautious execution in the fourth quarter as well as the truth that Jonquel Jones and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton truly came to play. They combined for 45 focuses and 12 bounce back and were at the bleeding edge of the Liberty's defense in an 85-80 victory.

Last year, Jones wasn't completely solid at the begin of the season, and it took a whereas for her to get up to full speed. This year, she's prepared right now.

"Where I was final year vs. where I am this year -- I do not take it for allowed," said Jones, who is in her moment season in Unused York. "I appreciate these minutes and adore going out there and playing hard."

It wasn't fundamentally a solid make a big appearance unpalatably for Stewart, who was 3-of-9 from the field for 8 focuses, but she had 8 rebounds.

"It wasn't a beautiful diversion, and I thought Washington tossed a part at us," Modern York coach Sandy Brondello said. "We found a few rhythm."

For Washington, Shakira Austin looked solid after being restricted to 19 diversions final season due to harm. She had 13 focuses, 5 bounce back and 5 blocked shots. She chastised herself for lost a late putback, but there was a parcel the Spiritualists had to like approximately how Austin played.

"It's astonishing fair to be out there," Austin said. "I was lovely balanced and felt like I played to my qualities. Coming into this year, I needed to extend that."