Wednesday’s 85-102 rout of the sixth-seeded Indiana Fever was more than a statement. It was proof. The Las Vegas Aces, who have spent the regular season establishing what it takes to succeed, now appear to be living up to that billing in the playoffs. In Game 1 of their best-of-three WNBA series, the Aces dismantled the Fever, with three championship banners hanging from the rafters of Michelob Ultra Arena serving as a constant reminder of their history. A’ja Wilson delivered a dominant effort with a 38-point, 16-rebound performance, while the coach overseeing the operation has guided her team to the title in three of her four seasons at the helm.
Everyone involved says the Aces play a different way during the postseason. They know exactly what it takes. The players on this roster have already proven themselves by winning both an Olympic gold medal and a WNBA championship.
School’s Out, and the Aces Are Teaching Anyway
Becky Hammon, the Aces head coach, described the final four games of the regular season as a slow Friday in school, with everyone eager for the bell to ring. Now that the regular season is over, the Aces are in full teaching mode. Their record of 31-13 is a footnote compared to the three championship banners on the wall.
Tuesday’s Game 2 takes place in Indianapolis, where the format is set at 1-1-1. While Hammon admits she doesn’t much care for it, she says she enjoys tinkering with lineups in a series more than in regular-season matchups.
Wilson’s Clinic Night
Wilson tied a career playoff high in scoring with 38 points and matched a career high in rebounds with 16. She also tied a personal playoff best in blocks with four, adding two steals and two assists. The performance was the most efficient 30-point playoff game in WNBA history, with a shooting percentage of 78.9%.
This postseason appearance marked the first time a player reached at least 20 points, 3 blocks, and 2 steals in a single half. Wilson’s early work against Caitlin Clark on the perimeter and her presence defending Aliyah Boston inside helped establish the game’s direction, and she ended up with 4 blocks, 2 steals, and 2 assists.
“She was a clinic tonight,” Hammon said. “There was nothing she couldn’t do.”
Young and Gray Join the Core Trio
The pair of Jackie Young and Wilson make up the second-highest scoring duo in the league, trailing only the Fever’s MVP candidates. Young put up 21 points while leading the team with 10 assists and hitting three 3-pointers. The Aces shot 9 of 19 combined from beyond the arc. Point guard Chelsea Gray, a four-time WNBA champion, added 14 points, matching Wilson’s total at the free throw line while handing out 8 assists.
“It’s the preparation they’ve had building up the last four or five years,” Hammon said. “Every year we get a little bit better, hopefully, in these situations. But experience and work are the things you trust in the playoffs.”
The Fever’s Deficit Grew to 27 Points
Indiana’s team never found its footing from the start. The game’s early stretch offered some balance, with the squad playing a close, controlled first period. But beyond that point, the team failed to summon the intensity, the drive, or the control needed for what many considered the best matchup in the state.
The deficit grew larger during the third quarter. The Fever were behind by 15 at halftime, and their situation only worsened from there. By the 1:32 mark of that period, the gap had widened to 27 points as the team’s prospects dimmed.
Errors kept mounting. Passes missed their intended targets, rotations failed to hold together, and open shots were left unmade. White spread her arms wide in disbelief. Clark turned with annoyance. Boston drifted in a state of bewildered wonder. Kelsey Mitchell was reduced to ineffectiveness.
The Aces shot nearly 65% in the opening half and barely cooled down after that, yet no one leaked out in transition. The Fever managed to score 28 points off the Aces’ 17 turnovers, while they could answer back with only 18 off their own opponent’s identical total.
“They’re good defenders, but at the same time, we made it hard on ourselves, too,” Clark said. “Our actions were sloppy, I thought what we were running just wasn’t great, and just nobody got an easy or open look.”
Talbot Stifles Clark, Wilson Blocks Around the Court
Steph Talbot’s length stifled Clark and the Fever’s ensuing ball movement, while Wilson’s blocks around the court put them in a further bind. The Fever have to rely on offense — their defense is shoddy, particularly when faced with the league’s second-best scoring squad.
Boston led the team with 18 points, despite taking just six shot attempts in the opening half. Clark contributed 15 points along with 10 assists, but committed 6 turnovers. Mitchell added 12, with almost all of her production coming from a 3-of-12 first half.
The report card following White’s performance described “urgency in moments,” an attribute that did not measure up against their rivals. A gap remains between the rising Fever and the established leaders of the class, all respect to the Liberty and Lynx. With only forty-eight hours between contests, with their championship season at stake, there simply is not sufficient time to fully close it.
“Oftentimes, you have to be humbled first, right? I mean, that’s life,” White said. “You don’t always learn from the successes. You learn from being humble, and so I think for us, we felt the difference in the intensity level.”
White’s Words on the Humble Lesson
White’s words captured the moment. The Fever felt the difference in intensity level, and she acknowledged that the team’s young roster has yet to master the discipline required in the postseason.
After an unusual unraveling that is unlikely to repeat itself, the Fever must look to raise their game. The Aces handled their business with a win at their home court, and now the pressure shifts to the Fever to match that performance back in Las Vegas in Game 3.
The Next One Will Be Different
Hammon’s words heading into the next game were direct: “That’s not a team that you want to give any life to,” she said of the Fever.
Three of the Aces’ four seasons have ended with a championship. They have reached the WNBA Finals in all but one of those campaigns, the year when they came up short in 2024. The coach’s resume speaks for itself, and her contributions through experience and effort hold the same weight as those of her players.
The 17-point victory put everyone else on notice to the No. 3 seed. The Aces are in control of the series, but they know the next game will be a test of their own resolve.
The Format and the Road Ahead
Tuesday brings the series to Indianapolis for Game 2, with the Aces set to play there. Should it reach a third game, the team will return to Las Vegas. The schedule runs 1-1-1, and Hammon has made her preference clear.
Hammon said that “In the playoffs, I feel like you could start to pick apart the other team’s identity a lot more thoroughly,”.
There is no time for hesitation. The distance between the growing Fever and the clear leaders of the class remains large, even when measured against the Liberty and Lynx. Forty-eight hours between matches will not be enough to close that gap.
The Aces have already demonstrated their capabilities. They possess the knowledge of what it takes, and the banners on the wall stand as proof. The Fever must equal that level of commitment, or the season will conclude in Indianapolis.
The key numbers from Game 1:
- Wilson’s 38 points and 16 rebounds, tying career highs in both categories
- Wilson’s 78.9% shooting, the most efficient 30-point playoff game in WNBA history
- The Aces’ 102-85 win, a 17-point margin
- The Fever’s 28 points off 17 turnovers, compared to the Aces’ 18 off 18
- The 27-point deficit at the 1:32 mark of the third quarter
Both teams face a real challenge in the next game, though the Aces hold the upper hand right now.
Source material: “After the Aces 'humbled' the Fever, Indiana's season is on the line against a reigning WNBA champion in its element,” Yahoo Sports.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.