Aces Fall to Fever 84-68
Coming off the emotional high of a overtime win and the franchise's 500th victory, the Las Vegas Aces ran into a Fever team that was ready for the moment and had no plans to make it comfortable.
Indiana controlled this game from the third quarter on outscoring Las Vegas 26-14 in the third period when it mattered most and the Aces simply couldn't find answers on either end. Final score 84-68. Las Vegas falls to 15-6.
Without A'ja Wilson, the margin for error shrinks significantly. Tonight that margin ran out.
Kelsey Mitchell was unstoppable
27 points. Game high. Mitchell attacked the Aces defense all night getting downhill, creating separation, and making shot after shot in the third quarter when Indiana went on a decisive 8-0 run to push the lead to 13. Aliyah Boston added 18 points and 13 rebounds. Lexie Hull had 10. The Fever brought a complete team performance on the road and they earned this win.
The third quarter told the whole story
The Aces shot 27.3 percent from the field in the third quarter and went 0 for3 from three. Indiana hit 44.4 percent from deep in that same period. By the time the fourth started the Aces were down 13 and running out of time. They fell into a 16-point hole early in the fourth and while NaLyssa Smith scored five straight to trim it to 11, the Fever answered every time.
The last time the Aces led was 41-40 right before halftime. That's how much Indiana dominated the second half.
Jackie Young and Jewell Loyd kept fighting
Young led the team with 15 points battling all night against a Fever defense that was physical and committed. Loyd added 12 and passed Tangela Smith for No. 19 on the WNBA all-time made field goals list another milestone even in a tough loss. Gray had 10 points and a game high 6 assists while continuing her remarkable free throw streak, going 16 for 16 from the line since June 21. Young has also not missed a free throw since June 17 22 consecutive makes. Both at the line have been perfect. Both can be proud of that consistency even on a night like tonight.
NaLyssa Smith grabbed 10 rebounds and added 9 points following up her 29 point overtime masterpiece on Friday with another solid two-way performance that shows Friday was no fluke, exactly like Jewell Loyd said.
The numbers were rough
Second lowest point total of the season. Season lows in assists, second chance points, and blocks. They shot 21.1 percent from three and 40 percent from the field overall. Indiana won the second chance points battle 13-2. These are the kinds of numbers that happen when a team is missing its best player and the opponent is locked in.
My take
Indiana came to T-Mobile Arena and took care of business. Simple as that. Without A'ja Wilson this offense loses a dimension that no single player can replace, and the Fever exploited it in the second half. The Aces were outplayed tonight and Coach Hammon will be the first to say it.
The good news is this team has been here before and they know how to respond. They head to Portland on July 9 at 7pm airing locally on The Spot-Vegas 34. Her Game Network will be watching to see this team bounce back.