'This one was big for us': Kelsey Mitchell, balanced Fever effort power Game 1 win over Aces
Kelsey Mitchell scored 34 points as Indiana controlled nearly every facet in an 89-73 Game 1 win, spoiling A’ja Wilson’s MVP celebration.
LAS VEGAS — The Las Vegas Aces are the hottest team in the WNBA. They entered the semifinal round against the Indiana Fever having not lost at home since Aug. 2.
After that defeat, the Aces reeled off 18 wins in their final 19 games, including 17 in a row. They narrowly escaped Game 3 of the first round on Thursday, advancing past Seattle after former Fever guard Erica Wheeler missed a 14-footer with 4.4 seconds left.
Head coach Becky Hammon, reflecting on a 27-point loss — a pitiful, lifeless showing — to Indiana back on July 3, said before this series: “They haven't seen the real Aces yet. They caught us when we were at a bit in turmoil. Not only that, they whooped us one of those stretches.”
On the other side, in a Fever season ravaged by injuries but also defined by Stephanie White’s efforts to reset the standard, Indiana keeps giving opponents fits. “They’re playing like the Las Vegas Aces that you expect to see,” White said pregame. “They had a lot of change. And it takes time.”
Among the changes: their top two assistants departing to become head coaches.
From the opening tip, Indiana played with edge, urgency, and togetherness. They led most of the way and by as many as 16 points in an 89-73 win to take a 1-0 series lead.
“It felt good,” White said postgame. “Our group has seen it all. We wanted to come in and be the aggressor right away to make sure that we were dictating on the defensive end and we were dictating from a pace standpoint. They're champions for a reason. We knew that they were gonna make runs.”
The Fever, who are now 3-1 in postseason games after going a decade without one win, punched first. They jumped out to a 19-10 lead before Las Vegas closed the quarter on an 8-0 spurt.
But no moment too big for this team because it’s always a moment and experience for them this season — home and away. For instance, when White challenged an out-of-bounds call in the second quarter, there were cheers after it was completed.
You would think it was Aces fans celebrating, given it was on their home court. But no, it was Fever fans making their voices heard all across the arena, part of a sellout crowd of 10,409.