85 — 102
The tie that slipped away
Indiana was in the game for much of the opening quarter. Makayla Timpson scored first, Caitlin Clark and Lexie Hull hit early threes, and Kelsey Mitchell's reverse layup put the Fever ahead 16-14 with 3:55 left in the period. That edge did not last. Las Vegas answered with a sharp closing stretch, and Wilson scored the Aces' final five points of the quarter to send them into the second up 27-23.
The second quarter was the turning point. Aliyah Boston opened it with a layup, Clark tied the game at 31-31 with a three, and Boston's banked three at 7:47 briefly pushed Indiana in front 34-33. Even after Chelsea Gray's free throws, the game was still level at 36-36 with 7:20 remaining in the half. From there, Las Vegas created the first real separation. Wilson kept scoring, Jackie Young added a pull-up three, Jewell Loyd connected from deep, and the Aces closed the half on a 26-11 run for a 62-47 lead.
Indiana made one more early push after the break. Boston opened the third with another three to cut the margin to 12, but Las Vegas answered immediately and kept widening the gap. Stephanie Talbot, Cheyenne Parker-Tyus and Young all scored in the period, Wilson kept the pressure on, and the Aces carried an 86-65 advantage into the fourth. The Fever trimmed that to 86-71 on back-to-back threes from Boston and Mitchell, yet Wilson answered with a three-point play and two more finishes as Las Vegas restored control.
Wilson at the centre, help everywhere else
Wilson's line explained most of the night by itself: 38 points, 16 rebounds, 15-for-19 shooting, 2-for-2 from three-point range and four blocks. She scored from the middle of the floor, at the rim and from outside, and Indiana never found a statistical answer for that range of production. When the Fever threatened to make the fourth quarter interesting, Wilson was the player who shut the door again.
What made the Aces especially difficult to handle was that the offence did not stop with Wilson. Young finished with 21 points and 10 assists, Gray added 14 points and eight assists, and Las Vegas recorded 24 assists on 38 made field goals. Young's passing showed up all through the scoring log, from early feeds to Gray and Talbot to later setups for Wilson. Gray added her own playmaking touch, including assists on baskets by Wilson and Loyd. Loyd chipped in 10 points, and Parker-Tyus gave Las Vegas seven efficient points in 15 minutes.
Indiana still produced enough offence to stay competitive for stretches. Boston was excellent with 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists on 7-for-12 shooting, while also knocking down three of her six attempts from deep. Clark posted 15 points and 10 assists, Sophie Cunningham scored 13, and Raven Johnson gave the Fever 14 points in 22 minutes. The Fever shot 12-for-31 from three-point range and 13-for-14 at the line. On many nights, that combination would travel well. Against this version of Las Vegas, it was not enough.
Our take
The result was built on efficiency as much as star power. Las Vegas shot 59.4 per cent from the field and 47.4 per cent from three, while Indiana finished at 44.8 per cent overall. That gap becomes severe quickly when the higher-scoring team also moves the ball this well. The Aces did not need an extreme volume advantage to reach 102; they simply made far more of their possessions count.
For Indiana, the clearest place to start is ball security and defensive resistance. The Fever were charged with 17 total turnovers, and Las Vegas turned those into 28 points. At the other end, the Aces still managed 24 assists and Wilson shot 15-for-19. Indiana's own offence was not empty. Eighty-five points, 12 made threes and near-perfect free-throw shooting usually give a team a chance. Allowing this level of conversion from the opponent erased most of that good work.
Las Vegas was not flawless. The Aces also finished with 17 total turnovers, and the Fever did enough early in the fourth to force a response. Still, that response came immediately and emphatically. Wilson steadied the margin, Young kept the offence connected, and the Aces finished with a comfortable win that looked earned long before the final buzzer. Against an Indiana team that had enough shooting to stay dangerous, Las Vegas was simply cleaner, sharper and far more efficient where it mattered most.
Scoring moments
- 1st Quarter · 9:01
Makayla Timpson makes two point shot
- 1st Quarter · 8:46
Chelsea Gray makes 17-foot pullup jump shot (Jackie Young assists)
- 1st Quarter · 7:35
A'ja Wilson makes 18-foot jumper (Jackie Young assists)
- 1st Quarter · 7:11
Chelsea Gray makes 16-foot pullup jump shot
- 1st Quarter · 7:00
Kelsey Mitchell makes free throw 1 of 2
- 1st Quarter · 7:00
Kelsey Mitchell makes free throw 2 of 2
- 1st Quarter · 6:53
Jackie Young makes 26-foot three pointer
- 1st Quarter · 6:34
Caitlin Clark makes 27-foot three point step back jumpshot (Kelsey Mitchell assists)
- 1st Quarter · 6:10
Stephanie Talbot makes 23-foot three point jumper (Jackie Young assists)
- 1st Quarter · 5:57
Aliyah Boston makes 7-foot driving floating jump shot (Caitlin Clark assists)
- 1st Quarter · 5:27
Lexie Hull makes 22-foot three point jumper (Kelsey Mitchell assists)
- 1st Quarter · 5:06
A'ja Wilson makes 20-foot jumper
- 1st Quarter · 4:42
Kelsey Mitchell makes 2-foot two point shot
- 1st Quarter · 3:55
Kelsey Mitchell makes 3-foot reverse layup (Caitlin Clark assists)
- 1st Quarter · 3:32
Chelsea Gray makes free throw flagrant 1 of 2
- 1st Quarter · 3:24
A'ja Wilson makes driving layup (Jackie Young assists)
- 1st Quarter · 2:57
Jewell Loyd makes 27-foot running jump shot (Chelsea Gray assists)
- 1st Quarter · 2:32
Cheyenne Parker-Tyus makes 1-foot layup (Chelsea Gray assists)
- 1st Quarter · 2:01
Cheyenne Parker-Tyus makes driving layup (Jackie Young assists)
- 1st Quarter · 1:27
Sophie Cunningham makes 25-foot running jump shot (Caitlin Clark assists)
- 1st Quarter · 59.7
Sophie Cunningham makes 24-foot running jump shot (Caitlin Clark assists)
- 1st Quarter · 45.8
A'ja Wilson makes 7-foot fade away jump shot
- 1st Quarter · 45.8
A'ja Wilson makes free throw 1 of 1
- 1st Quarter · 4.2
Aliyah Boston makes free throw 2 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 9:24
Aliyah Boston makes driving layup
- 2nd Quarter · 9:10
Chelsea Gray makes 10-foot fade away jump shot
- 2nd Quarter · 8:44
Raven Johnson makes two point shot (Aliyah Boston assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 8:44
Raven Johnson makes free throw 1 of 1
- 2nd Quarter · 8:22
Chelsea Gray makes 12-foot pullup jump shot
- 2nd Quarter · 8:13
Caitlin Clark makes 26-foot three pointer
- 2nd Quarter · 7:59
A'ja Wilson makes 8-foot step back jumpshot (Chelsea Gray assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 7:47
Aliyah Boston makes 26-foot jump bank shot (Caitlin Clark assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 7:32
Chelsea Gray makes free throw 1 of 3
- 2nd Quarter · 7:32
Chelsea Gray makes free throw 2 of 3
- 2nd Quarter · 7:32
Chelsea Gray makes free throw 3 of 3
- 2nd Quarter · 7:20
Raven Johnson makes 2-foot two point shot (Makayla Timpson assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 7:06
A'ja Wilson makes 7-foot turnaround jump shot (Chelsea Gray assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 6:44
A'ja Wilson makes two point shot
- 2nd Quarter · 6:38
Lexie Hull makes free throw 1 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 6:38
Lexie Hull makes free throw 2 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 5:49
Jackie Young makes 17-foot pullup jump shot
- 2nd Quarter · 5:37
Jewell Loyd makes running layup
- 2nd Quarter · 4:57
Mai Yamamoto makes 15-foot pullup jump shot (Stephanie Talbot assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 4:30
Jackie Young makes 25-foot running pullup jump shot (Chelsea Gray assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 4:16
Caitlin Clark makes driving layup
- 2nd Quarter · 3:56
A'ja Wilson makes 17-foot jumper
- 2nd Quarter · 3:11
Caitlin Clark makes driving layup (Aliyah Boston assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 2:57
Jackie Young makes 23-foot three point jumper (Chelsea Gray assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 2:12
Kelsey Mitchell makes 7-foot driving floating jump shot
- 2nd Quarter · 2:12
Kelsey Mitchell makes free throw 1 of 1
- 2nd Quarter · 1:53
A'ja Wilson makes 26-foot three point jumper (Jackie Young assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 1:38
Aliyah Boston makes 8-foot two point shot
- 2nd Quarter · 54.3
A'ja Wilson makes free throw 1 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 54.3
A'ja Wilson makes free throw 2 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 23.0
Jewell Loyd makes 26-foot three point jumper (Jackie Young assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 8:59
Aliyah Boston makes 24-foot three point jumper (Caitlin Clark assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 8:44
Stephanie Talbot makes 20-foot jumper (Jackie Young assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 6:25
Cheyenne Parker-Tyus makes 25-foot three point jumper (Jackie Young assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 5:16
Jackie Young makes 9-foot driving floating jump shot
- 3rd Quarter · 4:51
Jackie Young makes free throw 1 of 2
- 3rd Quarter · 4:51
Jackie Young makes free throw 2 of 2
- 3rd Quarter · 4:33
Aliyah Boston makes 6-foot driving floating jump shot (Caitlin Clark assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 4:05
A'ja Wilson makes two point shot
- 3rd Quarter · 4:05
A'ja Wilson makes free throw 1 of 1
- 3rd Quarter · 3:42
Sophie Cunningham makes 22-foot three point jumper (Caitlin Clark assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 3:29
A'ja Wilson makes 24-foot three point jumper (Chelsea Gray assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 2:53
A'ja Wilson makes 10-foot two point shot (Chelsea Gray assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 2:34
Caitlin Clark makes 25-foot three point jumper (Raven Johnson assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 2:23
Chelsea Gray makes free throw 1 of 2
- 3rd Quarter · 2:23
Chelsea Gray makes free throw 2 of 2
- 3rd Quarter · 1:55
Jewell Loyd makes alley oop layup (A'ja Wilson assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 1:32
Jackie Young makes running layup (Cheyenne Parker-Tyus assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 1:14
Caitlin Clark makes 6-foot driving floating jump shot (Aliyah Boston assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 48.4
Raven Johnson makes running layup
- 3rd Quarter · 34.6
Stephanie Talbot makes free throw 2 of 2
- 3rd Quarter · 20.6
Raven Johnson makes 25-foot three point jumper (Aliyah Boston assists)
- 4th Quarter · 9:02
Aliyah Boston makes 25-foot three point jumper (Kelsey Mitchell assists)
- 4th Quarter · 8:25
Kelsey Mitchell makes 26-foot three pointer
- 4th Quarter · 7:32
A'ja Wilson makes 17-foot jumper (Jackie Young assists)
- 4th Quarter · 7:32
A'ja Wilson makes free throw 1 of 1
- 4th Quarter · 6:50
A'ja Wilson makes layup (Stephanie Talbot assists)
- 4th Quarter · 6:34
Raven Johnson makes layup (Caitlin Clark assists)
- 4th Quarter · 6:01
Jackie Young makes running layup (A'ja Wilson assists)
- 4th Quarter · 5:44
A'ja Wilson makes 2-foot layup (Stephanie Talbot assists)
- 4th Quarter · 4:42
Stephanie Talbot makes free throw 1 of 2
- 4th Quarter · 4:42
Stephanie Talbot makes free throw 2 of 2
- 4th Quarter · 4:32
Sophie Cunningham makes free throw 1 of 2
- 4th Quarter · 4:32
Sophie Cunningham makes free throw 2 of 2
- 4th Quarter · 3:49
Monique Billings makes running layup
- 4th Quarter · 3:22
Sophie Cunningham makes free throw 1 of 2
- 4th Quarter · 3:22
Sophie Cunningham makes free throw 2 of 2
- 4th Quarter · 2:41
Monique Billings makes 2-foot layup (Caitlin Clark assists)
- 4th Quarter · 2:29
A'ja Wilson makes free throw 2 of 2
- 4th Quarter · 2:08
Jackie Young makes running layup
- 4th Quarter · 59.6
Raven Johnson makes 11-foot driving floating jump shot (Mercedes Russell assists)
- 4th Quarter · 37.4
Mai Yamamoto makes 13-foot two point shot
- 4th Quarter · 19.9
Grace VanSlooten makes free throw 1 of 2
- 4th Quarter · 19.9
Grace VanSlooten makes free throw 2 of 2
Indiana Fever — Players
| Player | MIN | PTS | FG | 3PT | FT | REB | AST | TO | STL | BLK | OREB | DREB | PF | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Makayla Timpson | 25 | 2 | 1-4 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 2 | -26 |
| Aliyah Boston | 25 | 18 | 7-12 | 3-6 | 1-2 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 5 | -1 |
| Kelsey Mitchell | 30 | 12 | 4-16 | 1-6 | 3-3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -16 |
| Lexie Hull | 18 | 5 | 1-3 | 1-2 | 2-2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | -5 |
| Caitlin Clark | 34 | 15 | 6-17 | 3-10 | 0-0 | 3 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | -18 |
| Monique Billings | 12 | 4 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | -2 |
| Grace VanSlooten | 2 | 2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +2 |
| Mercedes Russell | 4 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +1 |
| Sophie Cunningham | 29 | 13 | 3-6 | 3-6 | 4-4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -20 |
| Raven Johnson | 22 | 14 | 6-7 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Las Vegas Aces — Players
| Player | MIN | PTS | FG | 3PT | FT | REB | AST | TO | STL | BLK | OREB | DREB | PF | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephanie Talbot | 28 | 8 | 2-8 | 1-2 | 3-4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | +5 |
| Brianna Turner | 8 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -2 |
| A'ja Wilson | 35 | 38 | 15-19 | 2-2 | 6-7 | 16 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 12 | 3 | +29 |
| Chelsea Gray | 34 | 14 | 4-8 | 0-1 | 6-7 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +27 |
| Jackie Young | 34 | 21 | 8-14 | 3-7 | 2-2 | 2 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | +27 |
| Cheyenne Parker-Tyus | 15 | 7 | 3-3 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | +6 |
| Kierstan Bell | 2 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -2 |
| Kalani Brown | 1 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 |
| Jewell Loyd | 28 | 10 | 4-6 | 2-3 | 0-0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +12 |
| Justine Pissott | 1 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 |
| Mai Yamamoto | 13 | 4 | 2-6 | 0-3 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -13 |
Indiana Fever — Team statistics
| FG | 30-67 |
|---|---|
| Field Goal % | 45 |
| 3PT | 12-31 |
| Three Point % | 39 |
| FT | 13-14 |
| Free Throw % | 93 |
| Rebounds | 24 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 8 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 16 |
| Assists | 20 |
| Steals | 8 |
| Blocks | 0 |
| Turnovers | 16 |
| Team Turnovers | 1 |
| Total Turnovers | 17 |
| Technical Fouls | 0 |
| Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| Flagrant Fouls | 1 |
| Points Conceded Off Turnovers | 28 |
| Fast Break Points | 15 |
| Points in Paint | 36 |
| Fouls | 25 |
| Largest Lead | 2 |
| Lead Changes | 5 |
| Percent Led | 3 |
Las Vegas Aces — Team statistics
| FG | 38-64 |
|---|---|
| Field Goal % | 59 |
| 3PT | 9-19 |
| Three Point % | 47 |
| FT | 17-20 |
| Free Throw % | 85 |
| Rebounds | 31 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 5 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 26 |
| Assists | 24 |
| Steals | 8 |
| Blocks | 6 |
| Turnovers | 16 |
| Team Turnovers | 1 |
| Total Turnovers | 17 |
| Technical Fouls | 0 |
| Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| Points Conceded Off Turnovers | 18 |
| Fast Break Points | 14 |
| Points in Paint | 34 |
| Fouls | 18 |
| Largest Lead | 27 |
| Lead Changes | 5 |
| Percent Led | 88 |