The Las Vegas Aces are not messing around when it comes to defending their title, kicking off their march to a second straight WNBA championship and fourth in five years with an absolute statement win. They absolutely cruised past the Indiana Fever 102-85 in Game 1 on Sunday, powered by an unreal performance from four-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson. She went off for 38 points on 15-of-19 shooting, pulled down 16 rebounds, and swatted away four blocks. That’s just flat-out dominant, putting the league on notice right from the jump.
Wilson’s Unleashed: Fever Had No Answers
Seriously, it was the Wilson Show from start to finish. The 30-year-old showcased her elite scoring and rebounding skills all game long, just punishing Indiana on both ends of the floor. When Wilson is playing like that, how do you even stop her? The Fever’s largest lead was only two points, and they couldn’t get back in front after being up 16-14 in the first quarter. That’s how quickly Wilson and the Aces took control. It didn’t even look like Indiana won the regular season series 2-1 when you watched Sunday’s playoff opener.
Clark Held in Check, Aces Supporting Cast Steps Up
While Wilson was putting on a clinic, Indiana star guard Caitlin Clark was held in check. She managed just 15 points on 6-of-17 shooting, though she did add 10 assists. Aliyah Boston led the Fever with 18 points and Sophie Cunningham chipped in 13 points off the bench, but it wasn’t nearly enough to counter Las Vegas. For the Aces, Wilson had plenty of help, too. Star guard Jackie Young dropped a 21-point, 10-assist double-double, and veteran floor general Chelsea Gray added 14 points and eight assists in the victory. Jewel Lloyd also chipped in 10 points. That’s a scary deep team, and they just showed why they’re the third seed.
Wilson and the Aces now hit the road to try and close out this best-of-three series against the Fever in Tuesday’s Game 2. Indiana is staring down an early exit unless they can figure out how to slow down Wilson and this high-octane Aces offense. Good luck with that.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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