The Las Vegas Aces took a commanding 2-1 lead in their best-of-five semifinal series against the Indiana Fever with an 84-72 win in Game 3 on Friday night. Las Vegas is now one win away from booking a ticket to the Finals for the third time in the last four seasons.
Game 4 of this matchup is set for Sunday in Indianapolis, and is now a must-win for the Fever.
The Aces jumped ahead early and were in control for much of the first half, but were unable to pull away. A few minutes before halftime, Lexie Hull and Kelsey Mitchell hit three consecutive 3-pointers to get the Fever back in the game right before the break.
The Fever carried that momentum into the second half and surged ahead by as many as five in the middle of the third quarter, but that turned out to be the high point of their evening. The Aces closed the third on a 6-0 run and never trailed again. It was all Aces in the fourth quarter as they cruised down the stretch.
A'ja Wilson had another uncharacteristically inefficient outing, and was limited to 13 points on 6 of 20 from the field, though she did hit a few big shots in the second half and chipped in eight rebounds, four assists and three blocks. Jackie Young led the way for the Aces with 25 points, five rebounds and four assists, while NaLyssa Smith was great again with 16 points and four blocks.
Mitchell tried to put the Fever on her back again, but the Aces sent multiple bodies her way all night long and limited her to 21 points on 8 of 26 from the field. Aliyah Boston also struggled from the floor and went 5 of 16 for 12 points. With those two struggling, the Fever didn't have enough offense. As a team, they shot 35.6% from the field.
Young delivers for the Aces
On balance, Young has been the second-best player for the Aces over the last four seasons, but she rarely gets that level of credit. She doesn't have the game or personality to garner highlights or headlines, but her steadiness keeps the Aces ticking night after night.
Friday night's Game 3 was a perfect example.
On a night when Wilson shot 6 of 20 and Jewell Loyd went scoreless off the bench, Young ensured that the Aces came away with a pivotal victory. She finished with a game-high 25 points -- one shy of her playoff career-high -- on 9 of 14 from the field, chipping in five rebounds and four assists.
In classic Young fashion, she poured in a series of mid-range jumpers and fundamentally sound layups that were extremely effective, but not much to write home about.
Even Young's postgame press conference was characteristically unspectacular.
"Just trying to do my part. Just coming out, being aggressive, and then just being solid," Young said. "I think that's the biggest thing. I needed to do a better job of taking care of the ball. But yeah, just being aggressive, making the right reads, whether that's scoring, passing to my teammates. But the biggest thing for me is just being aggressive and good things happen."
Young may not be an exciting player, but she's a winning player, and the Aces wouldn't have it any other way.
"You want someone like that in your locker room," Wilson said earlier this month. "And I don't ever want to feel like we're going to let her greatness slide. Everyone talks about me, whoopty-do. But let's not forget who Jackie is ... We don't do anything without Jackie Young and it's going to continue to be that way."
