A’ja Wilson delivered an MVP-worthy performance as the third-seeded Las Vegas Aces beat the sixth-seeded Indiana Fever 102-85 in Game 1 of their first-round series on Sunday, taking a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three.
Wilson finished with 38 points on 15-of-19 shooting, including 2-of-2 from three and 6-of-7 at the line. She also grabbed 16 rebounds, blocked four shots and had two steals. The Aces shot 59.4 percent as a team and stretched their lead to as many as 27 points, outscoring Indiana 35-24 in the second quarter to lead 62-47 at halftime.
𝑀'𝑽𝑃 PLAYOFF MODE: ACTIVATED 🫡
38 PTS (T-Playoff Career-High)
16 REB
4 BLK
2 STL
15-19 FG#RaiseTheStakes pic.twitter.com/5pxSG6MOkd— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) September 27, 2026
Jackie Young added 21 points and 10 assists, and Chelsea Gray had 14 points and eight assists. Las Vegas scored 28 points off turnovers, and Indiana never led by more than two.
For the Fever, Aliyah Boston led the way with 18 points and eight rebounds. Caitlin Clark had 15 points and 10 assists but shot 6-of-17 with six turnovers, and Kelsey Mitchell managed 12 points on 4-of-16 shooting. Indiana rallied to win the fourth quarter 20-16, but the deficit was too large.
Full game highlights;
The Fever will head back to Indiana in a must win Game 2 to extend the series to game 3. Game 2 tips off Tuesday, September 29, at 6:30 PM ET in Indianapolis (1:30 AM Wednesday in Riyadh).
