The Indiana Fever's chaotic 2026 season came to an end Thursday with a 94-83 loss to the Las Vegas Aces in the winner-take-all Game 3 of the teams' first-round series. The Fever lost because A'ja Wilson reminded everyone that she's the best player in the world, and Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell combined for 41 points on 13-of-41 shooting from the field. And, as Clark and coach Stephanie White noted during the postgame press conference, the Aces doubled them up from the free-throw line.
"I think some of it is we missed some shots that we typically make. I thought there was a level of physicality, we couldn't get to the rim," White said about the Game 3 result. "They turned it up a little bit...
It's a game of the margins. They had 35 free throws, we had 20." The free throw disparity in the Aces-Fever was 35 to 20.Caitlin Clark: "Hm, interesting." pic.twitter.com/HF93UYD3E0 The Aces shot 28 of 35 from the line, doubling up the Fever in that department, who were 14 of 20. In fact, A'ja Wilson by herself (12 of 15) nearly shot as many free throws as the Fever.
And in an 11-point game, the Aces' 14-point advantage went a long way toward their victory. The Fever's frustration with the officials started almost immediately. Just three minutes into the game, Aces forward Brianna Turner, who played in Indiana last season, tried to eavesdrop on a Fever huddle so Clark pushed her away.
After a review, the officials assessed a double technical to both players. Double technical just THREE minutes into Fever-Aces 😳Caitlin Clark and Brianna Turner getting chippy 👀#WNBAonUSA | Fever 🔥 | Aces ♠️ pic.twitter.com/Dv1hLNwjiS Early in the second quarter, Lexie Hull got tangled up with Turner, who appeared to hook Hull's arm and drag her to the ground. The foul was called on Hull, which incensed White and Co.
The Fever eventually tried to challenge but were not allowed to do so because they took too long. To make matters worse, the Fever's bench was given a technical foul amid the chaos. Lexie Hull and Brianna Turner get tangled up as the second quarter begins #WNBAonUSA | Fever 🔥 | Aces ♠️ pic.twitter.com/yDbcPKBXBN Late in the fourth quarter, there was another controversial moment when Jewell Loyd caught Clark with an inadvertent elbow that went uncalled.
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