A’ja Wilson Earns Her Fourth MVP, But the Aces Fall to the Indiana Fever
The Sunday began with historic news: A’ja Wilson, star of the Las Vegas Aces, became the first player in league history to win four MVP awards. However, the joy didn’t last long.
Hours later, on the Aces’ court, the No. 6-seeded Indiana Fever surprised the home team, the No. 2-seeded team, stealing Game 1 of the WNBA semifinal series with a score of 89-73 at the Michelob Ultra Arena.Kelsey Mitchell Leads Fever with Stellar Performance
Kelsey Mitchell of the Indiana Fever was the key figure in the match, scoring 34 points with an impressive 12 of 23 in shots. This performance makes her the first Fever player to score 30 points in a playoff game since 2012.
For her part, A’ja Wilson finished with 16 points, struggling with her shot and shooting 6 of 22 from the field. After a streak of 17 consecutive wins, the Aces have lost two of their last three games.The Fever Imposes Itself with an Aggressive Game
The Indiana Fever showed greater speed and urgency from the start of the game. The aggressiveness in the Fever’s defense, especially Mitchell and Odyssey Sims, set the tone for a game in which the Aces did not seem prepared.
Mitchell was unstoppable, accumulating 34 points, his playoff high, with 12 of 23 shots and 4 of 6 three-pointers. Sims also caused problems for Las Vegas with 17 points.
With Wilson battling from the field and Las Vegas’ defenses unable to stop Mitchell, the Aces found no answers to counter Indiana’s offensive efficiency and their 50% shooting accuracy.Key Adjustments for Aces in Game 2
The Aces will need to improve their defense, especially in the paint, where Indiana scored 50 points. In addition, it will be crucial for Wilson to regain his best offensive form.
The Aces need to adjust their defense. After ranking ninth in the WNBA in defensive rating, Las Vegas improved to second during their winning streak, allowing less than a point per possession. The Storm easily surpassed that mark to break the streak in Game 2 of the first round, and the Fever’s 1.11 points per possession were the most the Aces have allowed since their 53-point loss to the Minnesota Lynx on August 2.
In particular, Indiana cut Las Vegas in the paint, scoring 50 points. The Aces only allowed more than that five times all season.
The other obvious adjustment for Las Vegas is to get Wilson involved. As in the first round against Atlanta, Indiana did a great job of eliminating three-point opportunities for the Aces, who only attempted 17. The trade-off is single coverage against Wilson in the post, but the Fever held the MVP to 6 of 22 shooting, her most missed shots in a playoff game.
We saw the Storm have similar success defending Wilson one-on-one at the end of Game 2. She responded with 38 points on 14 of 26 shots in the series game.Impact on the Series
The best-of-five format gives Las Vegas a margin for error. Game 2 becomes a must-win for the Aces, as no team has come back from a 2-0 deficit in a WNBA playoff series.
Las Vegas remains the favorite in the series, but Game 2 is now essentially a must-win for the Aces. No team has come back from a 2-0 hole to win a WNBA playoff series, and only one of the 19 teams in that situation (the 2018 Phoenix Mercury, against Seattle in the semifinals) has even forced a Game 5.
During their 17-game winning streak, the Aces only beat three playoff teams on the road (Phoenix, Atlanta, Golden State), so losing home-court advantage could matter. That dominance at Michelob Ultra is gone, and Las Vegas knows it must now get a win in Indiana. Meanwhile, the Fever’s victory also dispels any idea that their two regular season wins over Las Vegas were not significant because the Aces hadn’t yet hit their stride. Indiana has now won three of the four matchups between the two teams.
