Olivia Miles had just taken one of Caitlin Clark’s most recognizable rookie records when the two guards found themselves headed toward a season-defining finish. With Indiana and Minnesota set to meet twice in the final week of the regular season, Clark had already made sure the conversation would not be limited to what she had lost.
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After missing a majority of her second season, Clark has bounced back in a major way. She scored 25 points against the Washington Mystics to reach 862 points in 38 games, two fewer than it took her to score 769 as a rookie.
That total set the WNBA record for the most points by a point guard in a season, surpassing Diana Taurasi’s 860 points for the Phoenix Mercury in 2006. Taurasi reached that mark in 34 games and still owns the league’s single-season scoring-average record at 25.3 points per game.
The milestone was highlighted by @realapp on X: “Caitlin Clark now has the most points by a point guard in a single season in WNBA history.”
What’s more impressive about Clark’s season is just how much she has improved since that first season. After missing a majority of her second season, Clark has bounced back in a major way, averaging 22.7 points per game on 45.1% from the field, reaching the 862-point mark in just 38 games, two matches fewer than she took to reach 769 in her rookie season.
The previous record for most points by a rookie guard, also held by Clark, was broken by Miles. Clark’s 769 points in her debut season were the most scored by a rookie WNBA point guard in a single season back then. Miles, a point guard herself, eventually broke that record this season, scoring 790 points after the Lynx’s game against the Connecticut Sun.
She entered that game tied with Clark’s single-season rookie record and broke that mark with a second-quarter free throw, finishing with 21 points in a win. The record chase underscores Miles’ Rookie of the Year case, making her a real contender. Interestingly, she also hit the 769-point mark in 40 games, the same as Clark.
“It’s special, but it means we’re more so working well as a team,” Miles said after the game. “I have great teammates around me, great vets who allow me to be me out there. It wouldn’t be possible without one, a coach that believes in you, and then two, having teammates that have my back. So it’s really special to obviously be able to accomplish that with such a great team and on a win as well.”
Miles has broken several of Clark’s records this season. One such moment came against the Golden State Valkyries on June 4, when Miles hit eight threes during the game, breaking Clark’s record for most threes by a rookie in a game, one more than Clark did.
Clark had set the standard two years earlier. On June 7, 2024, the Fever guard made seven 3-pointers in an 85-83 win over the Washington Mystics, tying Crystal Robinson’s WNBA rookie record for the most threes in a game. Clark finished with 30 points while shooting 7-for-13 from beyond the arc, delivering one of the defining performances of her rookie campaign.
Miles moved past that mark against Golden State, making eight 3-pointers in Minnesota’s 87-84 victory. The record shift became an early sign of the larger rookie scoring race that would continue into the final days of the 2026 regular season.
Miles has also become the fastest rookie to reach 350 points, 100 rebounds, and 100 assists, one game faster than Clark, who reached the milestone in 22 games.
Olivia Miles has been one of the main reasons the Lynx have been so dominant this season. The team came into the 2026 season without franchise superstar Napheesa Collier, but has been just as dominant in the past, largely due to Miles, as she has been the main offensive engine for the team while making a runaway case for the Rookie of the Year award. She averages 19.8 points per game on 49.2% from the field and 38.8% from the three-point line.
Now, Clark and Miles will face each other in their final two games of the season, giving both the chance to keep increasing the total for their respective records. The first of these matchups is in Indiana on September 22, and the two teams will close the season in Minneapolis two days later.
The matchup gives the Lynx a chance to retain the #1 seed, while the Fever have a chance to secure home-court advantage in the playoffs. The matchup is more dire for Indiana, who have a chance to drop to the #8 seed if they lose both games and the Washington Mystics, New York Liberty, and Dallas Wings win each of their remaining matchups.
Clark has a chance to share the floor with the rookie who has taken one of her records, but the conversation right now is about a collective future rather than a changing of the guard.