The Las Vegas Aces got back on track with a 90-68 win over the Indiana Fever in Game 2 of their semifinal matchup in the 2025 WNBA playoffs. Thanks to their dominant performance on Tuesday, the Aces have evened the series at 1-1 before the action shifts to Indianapolis for Games 3 and 4. The two teams will take the court again Friday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
After a back-and-forth start to the game, the Aces went in front on a 3-pointer from Jewell Loyd with 5:16 to play in the first quarter and never trailed again. They spent the majority of the second half up by double digits and were able to cruise to victory down the stretch. Becky Hammon emptied the bench with four minutes remaining.
Everyone expected a big response from the Aces after their surprise loss in Game 1, and they delivered one on both ends of the floor.
Defensively, the Aces held the Fever to 41% shooting and forced a whopping 22 turnovers, which they turned into 28 points. Notably, they locked up Kelsey Mitchell; the All-Star guard had 34 points in Game 1, but just 13 points on 4 of 14 shooting in Game 2.
A'ja Wilson, who shot 6 of 22 in Game 1, was excellent on both ends. She finished with 25 points, nine rebounds, five steals and two blocks on 10 of 18 from the fied. The Aces are now 11-0 all-time when Wilson scores 25 points in the playoffs. NaLyssa Smith (18 points and seven rebounds) put together the best postseason performance of her career to give the Aces a big boost on the offensive end, while Jackie Young (13 points), Loyd (10) and Dana Evans (10) all scored in double figures. As a team, the Aces shot 53.8% from the field.
How Wilson got back on track
During the regular season, the Aces went 1-2 against the Fever and A'ja Wilson shot 24 of 56 (42.9%) from the field. Notably, she was 13 of 38 (34.2%) when defended by Aliyah Boston and 11 of 18 (61.1%) when defended by anyone else. Heading into the series, the Wilson-Boston matchup was one of the keys. If the Fever wanted any chance to pull off a monumental upset, they needed Boston to not only be able to defend Wilson one-on-one, but hold her below her averages.
In Game 1, Boston did just that. Wilson missed her first six shots of the game and never got on track against a pesky Fever defense. She scored just 16 points on 6 of 22 from the field, and was 2 of 11 when guarded by Boston.
"It was no different than any other time that I play Aliyah, or any other big in this league," Wilson said of the Game 1 battle. "It's always very physical, and it's playoffs, so they let you get away with a lot of different things. But that doesn't really change much of the game and our system. So we really just gotta continue to buckle in."
To little surprise, Wilson and the Aces were ready with a response in Game 2. While Wilson still had to work hard for her points, and had some rough possessions against Boston, she looked much more like her usual self. She finished with 25 points, nine rebounds, five steals and two blocks on 10 of 18 from the field to become the first player in WNBA postseason history with at least 25 points, five steals and two blocks in a game. The Aces also moved to 11-0 all-time in the playoffs when Wilson scores at least 25 points.
One big adjustment the Aces made was being intentional about getting Wilson the ball in different spots and off different actions so she wasn't constantly trying to battle Boston one-on-one. Of Wilson's 10 baskets, only one came in isolation against Boston. The Aces' pick-and-pop attack with Wilson was particularly effective, and created a number of open, rhythm shots for the four-time MVP.
Boston and the Fever won Round 1 of this heavyweight bout, but Wilson and the Aces countered in Round 2. Now, all eyes will be locked in for a pivotal Round 3 in Indianapolis on Friday.
