Next Round Bound

Aces pull away from Fever late, await Valkyries/Wings in the semifinals

For the second straight year, the Las Vegas Aces had to survive a win or go home game on its homecourt to advance in the playoffs.

In a series-deciding Game 3 as part of its first round series against the Indiana Fever, Las Vegas moved on following a 94-83 win over the Eastern Conference team. In six meetings this season including the regular season, both teams logged three wins.

“They’re champions,” head coach Becky Hammon said. “And that’s a spirit that they carry with them. If I’m looking across a line, I want to pick those three [players] every time to lead the charge.”

Since the playoffs format changed in 2022, the trio of champions A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young have not lost in the first round along with Hammon.

With its fourth straight series win dating back to last season, the Aces will now enter their next series having won nine of their last 10 outings. The team’s next showing will either be against the No. 2 Golden State Valkyries or the No. 7 Dallas Wings.

That game is set for Friday, Oct. 2 with tip-off set for 6 p.m.

“The biggest thing for us is rest and getting healthy,” Hammon said. “I want them to sleep, recover mentally. This was a grind. It’s never easy and it’s not going to get easier with either team that we face.”

Entering Thursday, Wilson had an average of 21 points per game and 9.4 rebounds per game in elimination games. However, she upped her scoring average to 36.5 points per game in elimination games last season.

Wilson started the game with a 14-point first quarter that included her connecting on all five of her shots from the field. By halftime, she had racked up 21 points on a near perfect 7-for-8 shooting.

By the final buzzer, Wilson posted 36 points and 10 rebounds while playing the final couple of regulation minutes with five fouls.

Gray scored 16 of her 23 points in the second half including 11 points in the fourth quarter.

“It was a group effort,” Hammon said. “But they’re called the ‘Big 3’ for a reason. And I had to ride them tonight.”

Young and fellow guard Jewell Loyd added 18 and 11 points respectively as the latter got the start for an injured Stephanie Talbot.

“She’s Jewell Loyd,” Hammon said. “She’s been in big games – she’s a champion.”

After giving up 31 points in the first quarter, the Aces returned to their staunch defensive principles in the second quarter. Las Vegas held Indiana to 5-for-17 from the floor in the second 10-minute session.

Forward Myisha Hines-Allen scored eight points and pulled in two rebounds during a two-minute stretch in that second quarter. Following her final made basket at 3:54 of the frame, the Fever would go without a field goal for the remainder of the quarter.

“The amount of effort and energy that they have to put in every possession,” Hammon said. “That is an impressive offense to be honest. It is an impressive offense. Chasing those guards around, we were mixing up coverages just trying to keep them off balance as much as we could.”

Heading into the fourth quarter, Indiana had scored just 34 points in the second and third quarters combined after that fast start to the game.

“When I look at them, they know, I don’t even have to tell them,” Hammon said. “Thirty-one [points] is not the deal. Giving that up and they went out and just busted – tremendous execution and effort to give us a chance to win the game. They won it with their defense.”

Guard Caitlin Clark scored 11 points in the first quarter but would be held to just seven points over the next 30 minutes. MVP candidate Kelsey Mitchell struggled for the majority of the game before finishing with a team-high 23 points.

The tandem of Clark and Mitchell combined to go 13-for-41 from the field in the loss. In two home games this series, the Aces held the highest scoring backcourt in league history to 68 total points on 23-of-74 shooting combined.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever played [Jackie and Chelsea] 40 minutes,” Hammon said. “Ever. You’d have to stat check me but I don’t think I’ve ever played both of them 40 minutes each since I’ve been here.”