The Las Vegas Aces just might be headed to the WNBA Finals this year — and that's a reality few would have seen coming throughout the first half of the 2025 season, when the Aces were absolutely struggling.
The Aces were sitting on 4 wins and 3 losses in June, a surprising begin for a team that most of us are just used to watching win. That trend kept up for the rest of the month, and things got so tough that even Becky Hammon started regularly (and ferociously) calling out her own team. "That's a complete lack of professionalism to come here with that effort," Hammon told reporters in July after the Fever beat the team 81-54.
Things changed after Las Vegas suffered a wildly embarrassing 53-point loss to the Minnesota Lynx in August. With just enough time to turn things around before playoffs, the Aces turned around the beat the Golden State Valkyries — and then just didn't lose a game again for the rest of the regular season.
The Las Vegas Aces have proven they can win under any circumstances
The Fever managed to thump the Aces 89-73 at home in Las Vegas when the two teams met for the first time during the Semifinals, but since then Las Vegas has held on — and they aren't showing any signs of letting go. The teams' Friday night game in Indianapolis proved the Aces can win whether or not A'ja Wilson is having an off night, as Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young, and NaLyssa Smith are more than capable of stepping up and landing big shots.
(It should be noted that Wilson's off night was an average — even above average — game for many WNBA players. She walked way with 13 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three blocks Friday.)
There's little doubt the Fever will put up a tough fight when the two teams meet today, but the energy shift is noticeable, and the Aces — who won the 2022 and 2023 WNBA Championship — seem determined to carry this postseason all the way to victory.
It's unclear who the Aces would go up against in the Finals, should they end up besting the Fever but the time the series is over. The Lynx have been heavily favored all season, but were hit with a double-whammy Friday after Cheryl Reeve was first ejected from their game against the Mercury and then suspended; Minnesota will also face the Phoenix Mercury Sunday evening in what could end up being the game that decides it all.