The Las Vegas Aces ran out as comfortable 90-68 winners in Game 2 of their WNBA semifinals against the Indiana Fever. The Aces were led once again by WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson, who returned with 25 points and nine rebounds.
NaLyssa Smith added 18 points and seven rebounds while Jackie Young finished with a stat line of 13 points, five assists, and five rebounds. Speaking after the game, Aces head coach Becky Hammon seemed to take aim at the referees despite the dominant win.
“The physicality's out of control, that's for sure…. freedom of movement, there's no freedom. I'm not saying we're not fouling too. I'm saying it's out of control,” Hammond said via ESPN's Alexa Philippou.
The Aces also enjoyed a strong showing from their bench unit. Dana Evans and Jewell Loyd both finished with 10 points, with the latter also adding four boards. For the Fever, Odyssey Sims top-scored with 18 points while Aliyah Boston finished with a double-double of 10 points and 13 rebounds.
The Aces enjoyed a bright start to the game as the first quarter ended at 26-17 with Wilson adding 11. They led by as many as 18 points in the second quarter at 37-19. The Fever fought back to bring the deficit to as few as six points, but the Aces eventually took control for an easy win.
The Fever come into this series dealing with multiple crucial injuries, with the likes of Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham, Chloe Bibby, Damiris Dantas, and Sydney Colson all out. Only Dantis has a chance of returning in this series.
Kelsey Mitchell and Wilson have both proved to be crucial for their respective teams. After Mitchell scored 34 points in Game 1, she was restricted to just 13 after converting four of her 14 shots. Wilson was limited to 16 points in Game 1 but erupted for 25 in the second game, going 10-of-18 from the field.
The next two games will take place at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indiana.
