Fever Force Game 5 vs Aces: Boston Shines and Eliminates Las Vegas

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Fever have found themselves in trouble on several occasions this season, including the recent game against the Las Vegas Aces, which marked the third time the team faced elimination this postseason. However, the pressure doesn’t seem to affect them; in fact, as coach Stephanie White stated, it’s in these situations where they show their best game. The team, ranked sixth, managed to recover from two consecutive losses to win the fourth game with a score of 90-83, thus forcing a fifth and decisive match in Las Vegas. Despite injuries to Caitlin Clark and five other players, the Fever continue to defy the odds, just one win away from reaching the WNBA Finals. They have won four games as “underdogs” this postseason, the most since 2021, and their three elimination game victories are the most for any team in a single postseason since 2022.

The desperation and urgency with which we play when we are in those positions is exactly what we need. We have to take advantage of that and carry it with us. It’s a one-game season right now, and we have to get better.

Stephanie White, Fever coach

After a tough loss in Game 3, Indiana led for nearly 35 minutes on Sunday, fueled by an 11-2 run that allowed them to go into halftime with a 46-38 lead. In the second half, a standout performance by Aliyah Boston, who scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the final 20 minutes, helped to curb any comeback attempts by Las Vegas. Boston, with a total of 24 points, achieved its best playoff mark and joined franchise legend Tamika Catchings as the only Fever players to record 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists in a playoff game.

We’ve watched a lot of film, and I think for me, working on my positioning, trying to get earlier seals, that was the focus for me tonight.

Aliyah Boston, Fever player

The Fever also had the support of Kelsey Mitchell (25 points) and Odyssey Sims (18 points), who, along with Boston, scored a total of 67 points.

I think we were the aggressor. And usually when we’re aggressive and move the ball, good things happen for us. We attacked, played with a sense of urgency. We made the right reads and the right plays.

Stephanie White, Fever coach

Odyssey Sims added:

We knew today was a game we had to win. We had our backs against the wall, so we had to come out with a little more fire than Friday, not play relaxed, and especially not let them go on big runs. I think today we did a great job when they did go on their runs, we minimized them and were aggressive defensively.

Odyssey Sims, Fever player

The Aces, who are close to their third Finals appearance in four years, were led by A’ja Wilson, who scored 31 points. However, Las Vegas committed 17 turnovers, which translated into 25 points for Indiana, and was not satisfied with its defense.

Aliyah Boston scored a playoff-best 24 points on Sunday. In addition, she joined franchise legend Tamika Catchings as the only Fever players to record 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists in a playoff game. The Aces got within two points in the final quarter, but the Fever held firm. A Mitchell shot with contact with a minute left put Indiana up by seven points, which caused euphoria in the Gainbridge Fieldhouse. With about 30 seconds remaining, the Aces received a technical foul after coach Hammon requested an excessive timeout, and Mitchell converted the free throw to put the Fever back up by eight points. The Aces indicated that they were not happy with the officiating, as the Fever shot 34 free throws compared to their 11.