The Las Vegas Aces have swept the four-game regular season series against the Indiana Fever, winning 78-74 on Friday at Indiana’s Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Chelsea Gray scored 21 points to lead the two-time champions to victory, holding off Indiana for a second time this week.
“I was able to get into the paint a little bit and got into a little bit of a flow,” Gray said in the post-game conference.
“It’s nice to see Chelsea be super-efficient out there, hit big shots, kind of control the game, run the offense down the stretch,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said in the post-game presser on Friday.
The Aces second-in-a-row win against the Fever wasn’t a high-point game but it was a high-energy one. Indiana was in a fight to close Las Vegas’ lead from the tip, but the back-to-back champions were dynamic on both offense and defense.
“We’re starting to see the resilience of a championship team,” Hammon said after Friday night’s win.
“They threw a couple of really good punches at us; we were able to take it, absorb it, and still maintain the lead.”
Back-to-back wins for the back-to-back champs
Las Vegas is coming off an 86-75 win over Indiana on Wednesday. That competition included a similar run of leads for the Aces with a brief moment of vengeance for the Fever. On Friday, Caitlin Clark's squad reclaimed the lead early in the second quarter, but A'ja Wilson and company responded with an 11-2 run for a 30-22 lead and kept it up the remainder of the game.
“We have competitors,” Kesley Plum said of the Aces' effectiveness in clapping back at Indiana’s run.
“I thought we did a great job as a team, but Kesley Mitchell was cooking and had a couple on me as well.”
Mitchell led the Fever with 20 points. Indiana's star, Clark, scored all 18 of her points in the second half of the game. The Fever outscored the Aces 34-26 in the paint.
“They have unbelievable offensive players,” Hammon said in the post-game presser.
“Holding them in the 70s two nights in a row, I’m over the moon about it.”
While Clark and the Fever have been hailed as a formidable offensive team to play, the back-to-back champions have a roster full of stars that proved the Aces can handle the heat from the Fever. The Aces ‘Big Four’ of Gray, Plum, A’ja Wilson, and Jackie Young combined for 66 points to lead Las Vegas to victory. However, it is the team’s assists that spell out their identity. The Aces offered 22 assists on 28 field goals; Gray and Young both had 6.
The 2023-24 championship team continues to show what makes them unique and stand out as a future dynasty. Their ability to trust each other enough to lean on one another, keep the ball in motion, and collect effective reads helps push them ahead, even against tough teams like Indiana.
“Really quality wins. This was our hardest trip probably of the season; that’s a team that’s playing really well, that’s a playoff team, that’s a high-fueled offense,” Hammon said in the post-game conference.
“They could ring up 90 on you pretty easy.”
Though defense has been a concern for Las Vegas this season, all cylinders have finally snapped into place. The Aces scored 9 points off the Fever’s 15 turnovers and 31 rebounds. Wilson led in rebounds with 17. Plum provided 3 rebounds and 18 points.
“Chelsea, Kelsey and Jackie are the keys to our championship run,” Hammon said after Friday’s win against the Fever.
“A’ja’s going to be A’ja. We’re going to get touches, A’ja’s going to be amazing. She normally cancels out whoever is on the other side.”
The two-time MVP now has the most points ever in a WNBA season and could be the first player in league history to reach 1,000 in a year. Wilson reached the feat with only 26.4 seconds remaining in the second quarter of Wednesday evening’s road tilt against Indiana. After Friday night’s win, the 2024 MVP prospect now has 971 points on the season.
“I was excited for A’ja to break the record,” Gray said after the back-to-back wins on Friday.
“She took the crown on that.”
The Aces have a tough road ahead, with three games to play in the race for fourth place in the WNBA standings. But, with their core four on a run, focused and ready for more, the tides may still lean Las Vegas’ way.
“Chelsea, Jackie and Kelsey Plum are our separation factors,” Hammon said on Friday.
“When those three are clicking, and iron sharpens iron out there, we become a whole problem to try to guard.
Chelsea Gray gives Aces offensive performance
Friday night’s standout performance belongs to the “Point Gawd.” After a long-awaited return to the court due to a lower leg injury sustained last season, it’s fair to say Gray is back.
“I just trust the process, and I know I put the work in,” Gray said at the post-game conference.
“So, it’s never a question on that side of it. I gotta kind of surrender myself to the result, and that’s what I’ve been doing, and it paid off tonight.”
Not only did Gray score a season-high of 21 points, leading the Aces in holding off the Fever, but she also tied Young in the most assists for the back-to-back champions. The degree of difficulty in Gray’s assists ceases to amaze. The two-time Western Conference Player of the Week has the 9th most in WNBA with 1,623 for her career, following Candace Parker with 1,634 dimes.
“I’m thrilled to see Chelsea being Chelsea. She’s a huge piece to our team,” Hammon said in the post-game presser on Friday.
“Not only the brains and the heart. Kesley and TIP and Jack they’re motors, A’ja’s a motor. We got a lot of different moving parts. But you’re really starting to see them come together and really complement each other.”
The multi-year WNBA All-Star made half her three-pointers and scored 7 of 11 from the field. Gray’s position on the team as a facilitator, a supporter, and a bucket continues to lead to Las Vegas’ success. The “Point Gawd’s” ability to help move the ball will be something to watch out for during the finals.
“The balls moving, the balls poppin, it’s in different hands, and that’s what we like,” Hammon said after Friday’s victory over the Fever.
Becky Hammon’s post-game emotional moment
There was more than one reason for the Aces to celebrate after Friday’s win against the Fever. Friday marked the third anniversary of Hammon retiring her jersey. Though the former guard says it was not in the card to return to the W to coach, destiny led her to a galaxy of star players she shares she’s happy to lead to championships.
“Coming here has been a blessing because of the players. The players are my why,” a teary-eyed Hammon says in the post-game conference.
“What drew me to this team I just saw: Limitless. I saw so much talent and just opportunity. Not just for myself but for them, kind of push them to the next level.”
As the two-time championship team fights for the three-peat, the journey that made them into the team they are today is colored by Hammon’s ability to draw out the best in her players.
“Coach has changed my career. As a player, you need a coach to believe in your potential,” Plum said on Friday.
“She’s come in and we’ve won. She’s created and cultivated a culture that is unmatched, and you can’t fake it,” Gray said in Friday’s post-game presser.
The Aces win and Seattle's 83-31 victory over the Dallas Wings Friday, keep Las Vegas a game ahead of the Storm. They play one another for the fourth and final time during the regular season on Sept. 17 in Seattle. But first, the back-to-back champions return home on Sunday to play the Connecticut Sun.
“We have a tough remaining schedule. So, to be honest, we gotta focus on what’s in front of us, get a game at a time,” Plum said after Friday’s win against Indiana.
The Aces competition against the Sun Sunday is slated for 3 pm PT.
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