For the second consecutive season, the Las Vegas Aces and Indiana Fever will meet in a winner-take-all matchup in Sin City. Last season, the Aces outlasted the Fever in overtime in Game 5 of the WNBA semifinals to advance to the Finals. This time, it will be Game 3 of the first round, with a trip to the semis on the line.
With MVP favorite A'ja Wilson's 38 points and 16 rebounds leading the way, the Aces took care of business at home with a 102-85 victory in Game 1. But the Fever responded in Game 2 behind Caitlin Clark's 27-point, 15-assist performance. In Game 3, will the reigning-champion Aces defend their home court and keep their repeat quest alive?
Or will the Fever pull off the upset on the road to complete the comeback? I picked Indiana to win the series in three a few days ago, and after what I saw from the Fever in Game 2, I'm going to stick to that decision -- despite the Aces having home-court advantage, far more championship experience and the best player in the world, A'ja Wilson. This game will ultimately be a battle of the Big Threes.
Can Clark, Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston stand up against Wilson, Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young? In Game 2, the Aces' Big 3 combined for 63 points, while the Fever's had 75 in Indiana's 99-89 win. In Game 1, which the Aces won 102-85, the Fever trio only had 45 points, compared to 73 for Wilson, Gray and Young.
The Fever are now 3-2 on the season over the Aces, and definitely have the offensive firepower to win the series -- the Fever had the top scoring offense in the league this season with 96 points per game, while the Aces had the second-highest with 91.5. But the reason I'm still picking Indiana to advance is because they added toughness to the mix in Game 2. It is not uncommon for high-scoring, less experienced teams to get punked in the playoffs when the intensity increases a dozen notches.
That certainly happened to the Fever in Game 1. The Aces were a step ahead of them the entire game, and the physicality and speed knocked them off-kilter. But thanks to a player that coach Stephanie White didn't play at all in Game 1, the Fever were able to respond in Game 2.
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