A’ja Wilson delivered a dominant response when the Las Vegas Aces needed it most, scoring 36 points and grabbing 10 rebounds as the defending champions defeated the Indiana Fever 94-83 Thursday night in a winner-take-all Game 3. Las Vegas survived Indiana's comeback in the best-of-three first-round series and advanced to the WNBA semifinals, ending the Fever's playoff run for the second consecutive season. Wilson shot 11-of-14 from the field, 2-of-3 from 3-point range and 12-of-15 at the free-throw line.
The performance came two days after Indiana forced Game 3 with a 99-89 victory in Indianapolis. Wilson had scored 22 points in that loss, but returned to form in the deciding game while Las Vegas received major contributions from its veteran backcourt. Chelsea Gray scored 23 points and added five assists and four rebounds, while Jackie Young finished with 18 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Wilson also recorded two blocks, while the Aces controlled the game well enough to keep Indiana from completing another comeback.
For the Fever, Kelsey Mitchell led Indiana with 23 points and Aliyah Boston recorded 19 points and 10 rebounds. Caitlin Clark finished with 18 points, but shot 6-of-18 from the field and 3-of-12 from 3-point range. Indiana had entered the series as the No. 6 seed after a 28-16 regular season and had already shown its ability to challenge Las Vegas, including the Game 2 victory that forced the decisive matchup.
The series also carried plenty of history into Thursday's finale. Las Vegas entered the postseason as the No. 3 seed and defending champion after winning three championships in four seasons, while the Aces had won their final seven regular-season games. The Fever-Aces matchup was also a rematch of the 2025 playoff meeting, when Las Vegas eliminated Indiana in five games. With Thursday's victory, the Aces advanced to another semifinal appearance and remained unbeaten in first-round playoff series during the A'ja Wilson era.
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