The Las Vegas Aces secured their place in the WNBA finals with a 107-98 overtime victory over the Indiana Fever on Tuesday, winning the best-of-five semi-final series 3-2. A'ja Wilson led the charge with 35 points, while Jackie Young added a career playoff high of 32 points and 10 assists, making them the first teammates to each score 30-plus points in a WNBA playoff game.
The second-seeded Aces will face the fourth-seeded Phoenix Mercury in the finals, beginning Friday in Las Vegas. This marks Las Vegas's third finals appearance in four years, having won the championship in 2022 and 2023. Chelsea Gray contributed eight of her 17 points in overtime for the Aces, who extended their winning streak to 16 games.
The short-handed Fever, seeded sixth, pushed the game to overtime despite losing star guard Kelsey Mitchell to a leg injury in the third quarter and center Aliyah Boston fouling out late in regulation. Odyssey Sims led six Fever players in double figures with 27 points and six assists, while Natasha Howard scored 16 points and Boston recorded 11 points and 16 rebounds.
Mitchell had 15 points before leaving the game with a non-contact leg injury, grabbing at her left knee. After several minutes of treatment, she was able to walk off with assistance. The Fever rallied from a 77-68 deficit in the fourth quarter, tying the game at 84 on a layup by Boston and two free throws by Sims. Boston then fouled out with 27.1 seconds left, but Sims tied the game again at 86-86 with a layup to force overtime.
In overtime, Las Vegas hit three early three-pointers, including two by Gray and one by Jewell Loyd. The Fever cut the deficit to three on a three-pointer by Shey Peddy, but Young's free throws with 20 seconds left sealed the victory. The first half featured 13 lead changes and 14 ties, with Las Vegas leading 47-45 at halftime. Wilson scored 13 points in the third quarter to help the Aces build a 71-63 lead heading into the final period.
