“Another One Bites The Dust” by Queen echoed throughout Michelob Ultra Arena as the clock counted down. Fans of Las Vegas Aces waved their rally towels and screamed at the top of their lungs as the clock hit double zeros. With a score of 94–83, the Aces took down the Indian Fever, eliminating them from the 2026 WNBA Playoffs.
The Aces took the series 2-1 against the Fever, eliminating them for the second year in a row. Last season, they eliminated the Fever in the semifinals, taking them out in Game 5.
There were plenty of similarities to last season’s playoff run. The Aces took on the Seattle Storm, and took the series 2-1. They then took down the Fever in the best-of-five series, winning the series 3-2. To close out their championship run, they swept the Phoenix Mercury in four out of seven games.
Despite taking a loss in Indiana, the Aces took away many lessons from this series. They take on the winner of the Golden State Valkyries and Dallas Wings series.
Let A’ja Wilson be A’ja Wilson
Wilson has been the anchor for the Aces this series. In Game 1 of the series, Wilson was doing it all. She led the team to the 102-85 victory with 38 points. On the defensive end, she led both teams in blocks with four. She managed to secure 16 rebounds, 12 being defensive rebounds.
“She was a clinic tonight,” head coach Becky Hammon told reporters after the game.” “She was A. I mean, just all over. She was all over the court, everywhere. Defensive end, offensive end, blocks, steals, boards, scoring. I mean, there was nothing she didn’t do tonight.”
During Game 2, the Fever defense managed to somewhat stuff Wilson’s and limit her opportunities. She only made one three-point attempt, and went 5-11 from field goal range. However, after being fouled, she made 12 out of 13 free throws. She still managed to secure nine rebounds, two assists, and three steals.
After a heated exchange between Wilson and a fan, she received a technical foul for unsportsmanlike conduct. Speculation rose about whether or not she’d be ejected or suspended for Game 3. The rules state that players will be either ejected or suspended if they step off the court to confront a fan.
However, the officials ruled it was only unsportsmanlike conduct, and she was not fined or suspended.
“I have my days, I have my moments, because I’m human,” Wilson told reporters after Game 3. “But after a while, I understood that I didn’t want that to be a distraction to myself and to my team, and I knew what we had to do coming into tonight. So I put it behind me. I prayed a lot. I cried a lot. I talked to a lot of different people, and the amount of love that I received today, the amount of Bible verses that I received today, it reminded me that I’m covered, so I can’t really worry about anything else.”
In Game 3, Wilson came out and put on a performance. From the second she came onto the court for the starting lineups, fans were on their feet, cheering as loud as possible. She ended the night with 36 points, going 11-18 from field goal range, and 2-3 from the 3-point arc. She made 12-15 free throws, had 10 rebounds, an assist, and two blocks.
When Wilson gets hot, he is a difference maker in a game. She’s proven her strengths on both ends of the court, and her accolades prove it.
Defense makes good offense
Throughout the season, Hammon placed an emphasis on defense. From day one, she’s consistently told reporters that “good defense makes for good offense.” This matchup came down to defense and shooting efficiency.
During Game 1, the Aces came out strong on the defensive end. The aces managed to hold Caitlin Clark to 15 points, and Kelsey Mitchell to 12. Clark went six for 17 from field goal range, and went three for 10 from the 3-point arc.
The Aces out-blocked the Fever 6-0. While Wilson had four blocks, Stephanie Talbot had a block, and so did Cheyenne Parker-Tyus.
Both teams had eight steals each, however, the fever conceded 28 points off of turnovers. Jackie Young had three steals, and Wilson trailed with two. Parker-Tyus had a steal, so did Jewell Loyd, and Chelsea Gray.
“I mean, you have to do it by committee,” Hammon told reporters after Game 1 when asked about her defensive evaluation. “They have obviously really talented guards. Just trying to work and make their looks as difficult as possible. You’re not going to take everything away, but we just want to make it somewhat contested and understand that they’re going to make some even those. They are tough shot takers and makers, but we just want to make it as tough as possible.”
In Game 2, the Fever amped up their defense, and came away with the win. They managed to out-rebound the Aces 34-30, getting 11 offensive rebounds while the Aces had seven. They managed to get three blocks and five steals as well.
The Aces struggled to defend in the paint, allowing the fever to score 58 paint points. The Fever’s big three, including Aliyah Boston, combined for a total of 75 points in the 99-89 victory. Clark had 27 points, Mitchell had 26, and Boston had 22.
In Game 3, the Fever attempted to replicate Game 2’s defensive effort. However, the pressure that the Aces put on the Fever slowed them down. The fever struggled to shoot as the Aces defense pushed them to make contested and difficult shots.
The Aces had more defensive rebounds than the Fever, securing 32 while they secured 29. The Fever ended the night shooting 38% from field goal range, and 28% from the 3-point arc.
“I’m okay with 36,” Hammon told reporters after Game 3 when asked about the defense allowing 36 points in the paint. “I think we gave up 58 the other day. Yeah, exactly. We shaved off 20 something points in the paint, so I thought we did a pretty good job adjusting, and we kept the ball in front of us a lot better today. No matter who it was, with the guards, we just didn’t give up those, those layups. We were just much more sturdy individually and collectively, but you know they have a lot of shooting too. They get up a lot of threes, so the board becomes an issue. But you know, I think we were a little above average in the paint defensively overall this year.”
Let the big three work:
Each team has a big three. For the Fever, it’s Clark, Mitchell, and Boston. For the Aces, it’s Young, Gray, and Wilson. These three players have been a big component in the Aces championship Dynasty. In the series, they did exactly what they needed to do to come away with the victory.
Right before game three tip off it was announced that Talbot was ruled out with a left leg injury. For Hammon, this was an issue, considering the praise that she’s earned on the defensive end. She told Young and Gray that they would be playing a full 40 minutes, and they did not disappoint.
They combined for 77 of the 94 points in Game 3, with Wilson leading with 36. Gray trailed behind 23, and Young trailed with 18.
Young also had eight rebounds and seven assists. Young has been involved more with playmaking and reading the court all season. She told reporters at last Saturday’s shootaround before the series started that Hammon told her that she was a conservative passer. She took this season to improve on passing and has been making passes similar to Gray’s.
Listen now to The IX Sports Podcast and Women’s Sports Daily
We are excited to announce the launch of TWO new podcasts for all the women’s sports fans out there looking for a daily dose of women’s sports news and analysis. Stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or anywhere you listen to podcasts, and make sure to subscribe!
“Right, I think just trying to have an impact, regardless of you know makes or misses, just still impacting the game in any way that I can,” Young told reporters after Game 3. “I know the ball is going to be in my hands a lot, so whether it’s shooting it or passing it to my teammates, you know, just making the right play off of that ball screen. But at the same time, just knowing that even if my shot isn’t falling, you know, I can still, you know, just play hard, show up, give a lot of effort, especially on the defensive end.”
On the other hand, gray has been a pivotal role in this series. Whether it’s making assists behind her back, or shooting buzzer-beater shots, Gray’s presence has not gone unnoticed. In the last regular season matchup against the fever, Gray had both the game-tying shot and the overtime winner.
“Anyways, you know this is Chelsea,” Wilson told reporters after Game 3. “These are the moments where she shines the brightest, and I remember we were heading into a turnout in the fourth, and I was just like, ‘Come alive, come alive! This is what you do,’and we’re gonna ride that out until the wheels fall off.”
The Aces square off Sunday either against the Golden State Valkyries and Dallas Wings.
