Well, that Las Vegas Aces vs. Indiana Fever game Sunday didn't go quite how a lot of people imagined, but the end result is truly no surprise: A'ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces absolutely shut down the Indiana Fever in the first game between the two teams. The Aces walked away with the 102-85 win thanks to the entire team, but absolutely thanks to the incredible shooting of the one and only A'ja Wilson.
Wilson shot at almost 80% from the field after averaging around 40% against the Fever all season — a stat that is formidable and even scary. If Wilson keeps this up, the Fever will need to work overtime to come close to toppling the Aces, if they can at all.
The team will get a solid chance to do so when they return home to the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, but the Aces have beaten them there before.
The Fever have struggled since coming back from the FIBA World Cup break, where Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston helped Team USA win the gold medal. It's unclear what exactly the disconnect is — the Aces also saw Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray head to Berlin for the tournament, and they have not been slowing down when it's been time to push the Aces as far as they need to go.
Whatever the problem is or is not, it's clear that Wilson is concerned about one thing: repeating her team's championship from last year. The Aces are well on their way to accomplishing that mission, and could even shut down the Fever tomorrow night. If the Aces win Tuesday's game, there will be no need for a third game, and the team will automatically progress to the second round of playoffs.
There they will likely find tougher competition, but they'll also be more than prepared to battle through. The Aces have been here over and over again, and have one of the most cohesive rosters in the league. The team's power speaks to the importance of owners and GMs working to keep the strongest members of a team together, whatever it takes. Wilson, Young, and Gray have played together for several seasons, and the trust they demonstrate on and off the court speaks to their impressive record, and to everything the team has managed to pull off.
The Aces also have an enormous edge on the Fever in terms of what the playoffs take, and that just might be what ultimately pushes them past Indiana. Well, that, and Wilson — of course.
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