Las Vegas Aces Answer the Call, Outlast Indiana Fever to Reach Eighth Straight WNBA Semifinals
The playoffs have a way of revealing what a team is made of. One night, everything can feel within reach. The next, the pressure can expose every missed opportunity, every defensive breakdown and every possession that slips away.
For the Las Vegas Aces, the road to the WNBA semifinals was not going to be a straight line.
After letting a strong start slip away in a 99-89 Game 2 loss to the Indiana Fever, Las Vegas returned home facing a winner-take-all Game 3. The opportunity was simple, but the challenge was anything but: win and keep the championship defense alive, or watch the season come to an end.
The Aces responded with a 94-83 victory on Thursday night at Michelob ULTRA Arena, leaning on their veteran leadership, their championship experience and a dominant performance from A'ja Wilson to eliminate Indiana and secure their eighth consecutive trip to the WNBA semifinals.
It was a reminder that even for a team familiar with this stage, nothing is guaranteed in the postseason.
Game 2: A strong start wasn't enough
The Aces entered Game 2 in Indianapolis with a chance to close out the first-round series. Early on, they looked ready to do just that.
Las Vegas established its rhythm in the opening quarter, using a late scoring run to build a 26-18 lead. Chelsea Gray helped set the tone with eight first-quarter points, while the Aces found success getting to the free-throw line and capitalizing on their opportunities.
But Indiana had no intention of letting its season end on its home floor.
The Fever turned the game around in the second quarter, outscoring Las Vegas 30-17 to take a 48-43 lead into halftime. What had been an eight-point Aces advantage became a five-point deficit, and the momentum had shifted.
Indiana continued to apply pressure after the break, and the third quarter proved to be the difference. Las Vegas struggled to find its shooting touch, making just four of 17 attempts from the field. The Fever took advantage, extending their lead to 72-57 entering the fourth quarter.
The Aces still had a fight left in them.
Jackie Young took charge offensively, helping fuel a 13-4 run to open the final period. Suddenly, a deficit that had once looked difficult to overcome was down to three points. Las Vegas kept pushing, searching for the defensive stop or timely basket that could swing the game back in its favor.
But every comeback requires more than a few big shots. The Aces needed stops, and Indiana continued to find answers when it mattered.
Young finished with a game-high 31 points, going a perfect 13-for-13 from the free-throw line. Wilson added 22 points and nine rebounds, while Gray contributed 10 points and seven assists.
Their efforts kept Las Vegas within striking distance, but Indiana's offense proved too difficult to contain. Caitlin Clark recorded 27 points and 15 assists as the Fever held on for the 99-89 win, tying the series at one game apiece.
For the Aces, the loss meant their margin for error had disappeared. One game would decide whether their season continued.
Game 3: The veterans take control
Back in Las Vegas, the stakes were unmistakable. There would be no tomorrow for the team that came up short.
Indiana came out aggressively, jumping to an early 12-4 lead and forcing the Aces to respond almost immediately. Rather than allowing the deficit to dictate the game, Las Vegas settled in and began answering possession for possession.
Wilson was at the center of that response.
She scored 14 points in the opening quarter, helping the Aces match Indiana's offensive pace in a back-and-forth period that ended in a 31-31 tie. The Fever had delivered the early punch, but Las Vegas refused to let the game get away.
The second quarter brought a shift. With the teams tied at 42, Wilson helped spark a 9-1 run that gave the Aces some breathing room. Their defense tightened, Indiana's shooting cooled, and Las Vegas carried a 54-48 advantage into halftime.
It was not a comfortable lead against a team that had already shown it could erase a deficit. Still, the Aces had put themselves in position to take control.
The third quarter tested them again.
Las Vegas stretched its advantage to 12 points, leading 67-55, before Indiana began chipping away. The Fever closed the gap to five, and the Aces entered the fourth quarter holding a 70-65 lead.
Eleven points separated the teams when the final buzzer sounded, but getting there required Las Vegas to navigate another tense stretch against an opponent determined to extend its season.
Indiana opened the fourth quarter with a three-pointer to cut the deficit to two. The pressure was back on, and the game was far from settled.
That's when the Aces' experience became especially important.
A'ja Wilson sets the tone, Chelsea Gray delivers late
Wilson delivered the kind of performance that changes the direction of a playoff game. She finished with 36 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 11-for-18 from the field and recording two blocks.
After scoring 38 points and grabbing 16 rebounds in Game 1, Wilson once again showed why she remains central to everything Las Vegas hopes to accomplish in its title defense. When the Aces needed a steady presence, she continued to attack and put pressure on Indiana's defense.
But this was not a one-player effort.
Gray finished with 23 points and five assists, providing the composure and shot-making Las Vegas needed in the closing minutes. Young added 18 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, contributing across the board as the Aces worked to protect their lead. Jewell Loyd chipped in 11 points.
With the Aces leading 80-70 midway through the fourth, it appeared they might finally create enough separation to settle the game. Indiana, however, had one more push left.
The Fever put together a 10-2 run, cutting the deficit to 82-80 with three minutes remaining. In a game that had swung back and forth all night, the margin was suddenly down to a single possession.
This was the moment when the Aces needed to be at their best.
Gray stepped to the free-throw line and converted both attempts. After Indiana missed on its next two possessions, Gray connected on a jumper with 1:25 remaining to push the lead to 86-80.
It was a crucial stretch of execution. Rather than allowing Indiana's comeback to create panic, Las Vegas made the plays it needed to regain control.
Wilson followed with two free throws, and the Aces continued to capitalize at the line as Indiana was forced to foul. Las Vegas closed out the 94-83 victory, turning a tense fourth quarter into a series-clinching celebration.
For Indiana, the loss ended its season. For Las Vegas, it was the response that kept its championship hopes alive.
Eight straight semifinals — and the work continues
Advancing to the semifinals for the eighth consecutive season is another significant milestone for the Aces, but the path there matters just as much as the accomplishment itself.
Game 2 exposed the consequences of a cold shooting stretch and an inability to consistently slow Indiana's attack. Game 3 demanded a different kind of response: composure through early adversity, contributions from multiple players and the ability to execute when the game tightened late.
The Aces did not make the series easy on themselves. They had to absorb a road loss, return home with their season on the line and withstand a Fever team that refused to go quietly.
They answered with their season's next chapter.
Wilson's 36-point performance provided the headline, but Gray's late-game execution and Young's all-around contributions helped turn that performance into a win. Together, the veteran core delivered when the pressure was at its highest.
The Aces now move forward with another postseason series ahead and their title defense still intact. Their latest trip to the semifinals did not come without a scare, but it reinforced an important reality about playoff basketball: a championship team is not defined by avoiding difficult moments. It is defined by how it responds to them.
Las Vegas has earned another opportunity to keep its season alive. And after the battle Indiana put up, the Aces know the road ahead will demand even more.
Up Next: The Aces play the winner of the No. 2 Golden State/No. 7 Dallas series, which is locked at 1-1. The teams play in the Bay Area Friday night and if the Valkyries win, Las Vegas will travel to San Francisco to play Games 1 and 2 of the best-of-5 semifinals. If it’s Dallas, the Aces will host the Wings in Games 1 and 2. Dates are Oct. 4 and 7 for the first two games, Game 3 is slated for Oct. 9. If Games 4 and 5 are necessary, they will be contested Oct. 11 in City 2 and Oct 14 in City 1.