The Las Vegas Aces are one game away from making yet another WNBA Finals appearance. Despite a rare inefficient game from MVP A’ja Wilson, the Aces were able to take Game 3, 84-72, thanks to crucial performances by Jackie Young and NaLyssa Smith.
Aces On The Verge
The Aces started the game off with a 3-point shot by Wilson, but it turned out to be her only points in the first half. It turned into an uncharacteristic game for the four-time MVP, as she ended the night 6-of-20 from the field (13 points), with eight rebounds and four assists.
The Indiana Fever didn’t have the best start, but towards the end of halftime, three consecutive 3-pointers from Kelsey Mitchell and Lexie Hull led to a 11-2 run in the final two minutes of the second quarter, which cut the Aces lead to one point. Momentum was absolutely on Indiana’s side going into halftime, as the crowd went wild. The Fever were able to get their first lead in the third quarter, their largest lead growing to five points. Even with the energy swing, the Aces were able to maintain in range of the Fever with their defense. Aces coach Becky Hammon said before the game,
“As an opposing player, as an opposing coach, you really have to embrace this type of atmosphere. You have to figure you’re like a gladiator going into that colosseum, like everybody’s against you. […]”
Which is exactly what the Aces did, they embraced the energy, and with 1.8 seconds left in the third, all the momentum for the Fever suddenly disappeared with an extraordinary inbound pass by Chelsea Gray that led to a Jackie Young layup, and an Aces lead. The fourth quarter ended up being dominated by the Aces’ defense, as Indiana didn’t make a field goal (a Lexie Hull layup) until the Aces already led by 10 points.
With its win over the Fever, the Aces lead the best-of-five series, 2-1.
After the game, Fever coach Stephanie White talked about how Game 3 really just came down to who made more shots. The Aces shot 50.8 percent from the field compared to the Fever’s 35.6 percentage. It didn’t help that the Fever shot 61.9 percent from the free throw line.
Coach White explained that the team did much better offensively, and the defense gave them a chance to win Game 3, but once again it was just more about their shot making.
“I felt like our ball movement was better, our ability to attack and make reads was better. We got to the free throw line, they just didn’t go in. So I did feel like we got a lot of really good opportunities. You know we had some breakdowns at times defensively, but we went through stretches where we really gave ourselves a chance on the defensive end.”
Who Will Want it More In Game 4?
The biggest question for the Fever going into Game 4 is going to be, how do you take advantage of the opportunities when they present themselves? The Fever made Wilson look human in Game 1 and Game 3, but ended up losing Game 3 at home. How can Indiana recover from a game it should have won? Defensively, the Fever held Wilson to only one free throw, and didn’t let Las Vegas go on a big run until the fourth quarter. In order to force a Game 5, they can’t let Wilson’s dominance be the storyline.
As for Las Vegas, it wants to end the series on Sunday. Coach Hammon even admitted her team is not looking for a game five.
“We want to come in, take care of business, have the appropriate mentality…Obviously, you know we’re happy with the win, but we have to move on, and we have to go back and do some things much better. And I know my group understands that we didn’t feel like we played a good 40 minutes.”
Young has been a key player for the Aces’ entire playoff run so far and her 25-point game, alongside Smith’s 16, propelled Las Vegas to victory without a big stat line for the league’s best player. Young’s steady efficiency could end up being the reason Las Vegas ends up in the WNBA Finals for a third time in four years.
