Fever Even Series vs. Aces, Force Decisive Game 3 in Vegas — SkimNews
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- Indiana Fever beat the Las Vegas Aces 99-89 in Game 2 on Tuesday in Indianapolis, evening the first-round series 1-1 and forcing a winner-take-all Game 3 Thursday at 9 p.m. ET at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas.
- Caitlin Clark finished Game 2 with 27 points, 15 assists and seven rebounds, and backcourt partner Kelsey Mitchell added 26 points, while guards Lexie Hull and rookie Raven Johnson provided the defensive energy that flipped a 26-18 first-quarter deficit into Indiana's lead.
- A'ja Wilson left the court during Game 2 to confront a fan pointing at her from behind the basket, but the WNBA announced Thursday that no further discipline would be issued to Wilson or any other Aces involved in the incident.
- Jackie Young has 52 points and 15 assists through two games, including a Game 2 line of 31 points that the Fever's defense could not stop, and she is part of a Las Vegas 'big three' alongside Wilson and Chelsea Gray that has won three WNBA championships together.
- Aliyah Boston scored 22 points in Game 2, her highest output since also getting 22 on Aug. 22, and could be the difference-maker for Indiana if the guards continue to deliver; the Aces also got nine points and five rebounds from Stephanie Talbot in Game 2.
- Coach Becky Hammon blamed Las Vegas's Game 2 struggles on poor defense, saying 'I thought defensively we were poor tonight, and the two are married together' when asked why the Aces' normally elite offense stalled.
- Indiana lost Game 1 in Las Vegas 102-85 but won both of its regular-season trips to Michelob Ultra Arena (84-68 on July 5 and 109-75 a week later), the Fever's first wins there since the Aces moved to the city in 2018.
Why it matters: A 1-1 series means Thursday's winner advances to the WNBA semifinals and the loser is eliminated, with the defending-champion Aces — who own three of the past four titles — now facing elimination on their own floor against a No. 6 seed that beat them twice in Las Vegas during the regular season. The league's decision not to discipline Wilson also closes the book on the game's most volatile subplot before tipoff.
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