The Washington Mystics defeated the Indiana Fever tonight at the Capital One Arena 92-91. Despite doing everything they could to make the playoffs, the Mystics were mathematically eliminated tonight when the Atlanta Dream defeated the New York Liberty.

Caitlin Clark’s history-making rookie season has been discussed ad nauseam; I don’t need to prove to you that she’s great. She’s so great that her games are moved to arenas five times the size of their original venues to accommodate her blinding stardom. She’s so great that I tore a ligament in my elbow and drove straight from the emergency room to Capital One Arena because I didn’t want to deprive myself of a chance to see her play live (I wish I were kidding). Clark holds all the relevant rookie scoring and assist records, as well as the WNBA single-season (329) and single-game (19) assist records.

Clark’s number 22 was ubiquitous around Capital One Arena, whether it was the Indiana Fever, Iowa Hawkeyes or even a white T-shirt with a giant “CLARK 22” written across it. Good luck to the Connecticut Sun, whose arena will undoubtedly be flooded with similar merchandise during their first-round series against Indiana.

Here are some notes from tonight’s game:

• The Mystics fell behind by 18 points just minutes into the first quarter. The next quarter and a half saw them play some of the best ball they’ve played all season, scoring three threes en route to an early second-half lead.
• With the seeding now set, Caitlin Clark stepped to the bench midway through the third quarter to complete her assured Rookie of the Year campaign. Clark scored 8 points and dished out 8 assists tonight on just five shots.
• The Mystics led the entire second half and survived a scare at the final whistle, when the Fever nearly stole the game with a buzzer beater.
• I saw exactly one Indiana Fever shirt that didn’t have Caitlin Clark’s name on it. It was Kelsey Mitchell Stranger Things-theme sweater. Now that is a real fan.
• When the PA system played Chappell Roan’s “Hot to Go” during a timeout, Stefanie Dolson led the crowd in the appropriate dance. That’s not really a comment on the game, but it did make me laugh.

After starting the season 0-12, it’s a miracle the Mystics were even alive for the playoffs on the final day of the season. Now, with a lottery pick in the 2025 draft, Washington has a shot at the No. 1 overall pick and unanimous top prospect Paige Bueckers.