The sixth-seeded Indiana Fever (28-16) will face the third-seeded Las Vegas Aces (31-13) in the first round of the WNBA playoffs. Game 1 is at 4 p.m. ET Sunday at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas. This comes almost a year after the last postseason matchup between these teams, when the Aces beat the Fever in overtime in Game 5 to advance to the WNBA Finals.
Las Vegas comes into this series with some momentum. The Aces have won their last seven games and averaged 93.5points over their last 10. Center A'ja Wilson, a vital part of the squad, missed the FIBA World Cup to focus on recovering from some back issues she faced earlier in the season and comes into the playoffs well rested. Las Vegas also has multiple players who recently won gold with Team USA at the World Cup, including guards Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray, who provided an important veteran presence to a squad full of young players in the tournament for the Americans.
Indiana is fresh off two big losses to the Minnesota Lynx (33-11) and the Washington Mystics (28-16). The two losses to playoff teams came by an average margin of 18 points.
Important players in the matchup
In addition to Wilson's vital presence as a four-time MVP, Gray is important to Las Vegas' success. She has shown up in vital moments for her teams, including key shots toward the end of the close game the United States had against Italy in the FIBA World Cup, and even in Game 5 of the semifinals last year against Indiana, where she was able to garner momentum to increase the lead.
Young, who is averaging 18.9 points and 6.8 assists per game, is another key part of this Las Vegas squad. She is known for her shooting and playmaking skills and has been called the "silent assassin."
Indiana is known for its explosive offense, with the backcourt of guards Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell being one of the most productive in the league. The duo has combined for an average of 47 points per game this season, the most for any duo in the league's history, beating former guards Diana Taurasi and Cappie Pondexter.
"This is the most explosive scoring backcourt on the highest scoring team times highest scoring year ever in WNBA history," said former WNBA player and analyst Chiney Ogwumike, according to Yahoo Sports. "It's hard for me to put into words like the levels to which Caitlin can go for 40, easily, Kelsey can go for 40 as well."
The Fever also have a strong frontcourt. Forward Aliyah Boston is the most notable, averaging 16.1 points, 8 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game this season. She is also known for her effort in the paint.
"Obviously, I had a ton of respect playing against you," Phoenix Mercury guard Kelsey Plum said to Boston in an interview. "I know how good you are offensively, and I don't think you get enough credit defensively for how good you are. But then being your teammate and just watching you gobble people up in the paint on both sides ... It reminds me in a lot of ways of A'ja. You don't really have to worry about anything. You just kind of like throw it in the vicinity, and they're gonna get it. You make me look good a lot."
Things to look out for
The Fever, while a strong team offensively, have struggled this season when it comes to their ability to take care of the ball. They have averaged 14.3 turnovers per game. The ball security issues were emphasized in their recent regular-season matchup against the Aces, when Wilson stole the ball from Clark in the last moments of the game and converted it into a 3-point shot opportunity for Gray, ultimately ending in a 75-72 loss for the Fever.
Las Vegas, while a strong team on both sides of the ball, is missing key bench players. Most notably, forward NaLyssa Smith, who averages 6.4 rebounds per game and leads the team in offensive rebounds with 2.2 per game, will miss the playoffs due to a left leg injury.
The frontcourt matchup between former South Carolina teammates Boston and Wilson will be one of the things to look out for in this series. In the third matchup between these teams, Boston held Wilson to a rare 40% shooting from the field.
The winner will face either the Golden State Valkyries (32-12) or the Dallas Wings (27-17) in the 2026 WNBA semifinals. Game 2 is at 6:30 p.m. ET Tuesday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, and the series would return to Las Vegas for Game 3, if necessary, on Thursday.
Jocelyn Quintana is a junior majoring in communication studies and psychology. In her free time, she enjoys reading, playing piano and keeping up with her favorite basketball, baseball and soccer teams.
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