Aces vs. Fever: A'ja Wilson Scores 38 as Las Vegas Rolls Indiana in First Round Game 1

A'ja Wilson started her Sunday by being named the Associated Press WNBA Player of the Year for an unprecedented third straight season. Then she went out and spent the afternoon explaining why, one bucket at a time.

The final was 102-85, and Wilson's line looked like a typo: 38 points on 15-of-19 shooting, 16 rebounds and four blocks. That was more than enough for the Las Vegas Aces to take Game 1 of their best-of-three first-round series against the Indiana Fever. The third-seeded Aces, the defending champions and winners of three of the last four titles according to the AP, now need one more win to reach the semifinals.

Close for a Quarter, Then Not Close at All

For most of the first quarter, this looked like a real fight. Indiana actually led 16-14 with 3:32 left in the period. Then Las Vegas did what Las Vegas does. A 10-0 run turned that two-point deficit into a 24-16 cushion, and the Aces took a 27-23 lead after one.

The second quarter was the knockout punch. Indiana hung around and trailed only 40-38 midway through the period, and then the Aces ripped off a 9-0 run to go up 49-38. They won the quarter 35-24 and led 62-47 at halftime. Per the AP, those 62 points left Las Vegas one shy of its franchise record for most points in a playoff half, set with 63 against Phoenix on Aug. 20, 2022. So close, so very Vegas.

Early in the third came another haymaker. A 9-0 run took a 62-50 lead to 71-50, and Las Vegas eventually stretched the margin to 27 points. Indiana answered with a 9-0 burst that started in the final seconds of the third and carried into the fourth, and an 8-0 run late cut a 97-73 hole to 97-81, but the Aces were never seriously threatened after the break.

Wilson Played on Easy Mode

Wilson had 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting by halftime, along with six rebounds and three blocks, according to the AP. She went 2 for 2 from 3, 6 of 7 from the line and finished a plus-29 in 35 minutes. Her 38 points matched her personal career postseason high.

Fans chanted "M-V-P" when she went to the free throw line, and honestly, they had a point.

"She understands the stakes fully," Aces coach Becky Hammon said. "She was a clinic tonight."

Chelsea Gray, who had 14 points and eight assists, gave the best advice for anyone guarding Wilson on a day like this: "get out of the way." Then she got philosophical. "It's a blessing to be able to see this every single day. I say this all the time, you can't wait till a person retires to appreciate greatness. You've got to appreciate it while it's happening."

Gray also made some history of her own. Per the AP, she now has 397 career playoff assists, passing Courtney Vandersloot (390) for second place in playoff history.

Jackie Young was quietly brilliant with 21 points and 10 assists on 8-of-14 shooting, though she also had six of the team's turnovers. Jewell Loyd added 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting, and Cheyenne Parker-Tyus went 3 for 3 off the bench for seven.

Wilson, for her part, kept it simple. "I think we just showed up to work, and that's what we need to do moving forward," she said.

Indiana Beat Itself, Too

Aliyah Boston, slowed by what the AP described as a lower leg injury, still led Indiana with 18 points and eight rebounds and hit 3 of 6 from deep. Raven Johnson gave Indiana a lift off the bench with 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting, and Sophie Cunningham added 13.

Caitlin Clark finished with 15 points and 10 assists but shot 6 of 17 and committed six turnovers. Kelsey Mitchell, whose record run of 27 straight games with at least 20 points was noted by the AP, managed only 12 points on 4-of-16 shooting.

The turnovers were the real problem. Indiana gave the ball away 17 times, and Las Vegas turned those into 28 points. Clark did not sugarcoat it. She graded her team's defense an F and said Indiana kept getting in its own way on offense.

"I thought our actions were sloppy," Clark said. "I thought what we were running wasn't great and nobody got an easier open look."

Fever coach Stephanie White tipped her cap. "Give Vegas credit," she said. "They're defending champions for a reason. They understand the moment. They understand the playoffs require a different level of intensity and urgency, and they came with it."

The Turning Point

The 9-0 run in the second quarter. Indiana had clawed within 40-38 with 5:49 left in the half and had every reason to think it could steal home court. Instead, Las Vegas answered with nine straight points and kept rolling to a 62-47 halftime lead. That run turned a competitive playoff game into a Wilson showcase.

Stats That Matter

• 15 of 19: Wilson's shooting from the field. That is 79%, and she did it on volume.
• 28: Points Las Vegas scored off Indiana's 17 turnovers.
• 59%: The Aces' field goal percentage as a team, on 38-of-64 shooting.
• 26-16: Las Vegas' edge on the defensive glass.
• 6-0: The Aces' advantage in blocked shots. Indiana did not block one.

What It Means

Las Vegas leads the series 1-0. Game 2 is Tuesday night in Indiana, and a Fever loss ends their season and sends the Aces to the semifinals. If Indiana wins, the series comes back to Las Vegas for Game 3.

The Aces are flat-out rolling. Counting the playoffs, they have won eight straight games, including their final seven of the regular season. Indiana has lost two in a row, after a loss at Minnesota in its regular-season finale.

There is one wrinkle worth watching: the sixth-seeded Fever actually won the regular-season series against Las Vegas 2-1. They know they can beat this team. They just have to do it with a lot fewer turnovers.

Closing Take

There is a version of this series where Indiana cleans up the giveaways, gets Mitchell going and makes it a fight. That version requires somebody on the Fever to slow down Wilson, and on Sunday that looked like asking someone to stop a Las Vegas casino from making money. The house always wins, and right now Wilson is the house.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Postgame quotes as reported by the Associated Press.