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ESPN Senior Writer- Co-author, Pro Basketball Prospectus series
- Formerly a consultant with the Indiana Pacers
- Developed WARP rating and SCHOENE system
Sunday started with Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson becoming the first player in league history to win four MVP awards. But hours later, on the Aces' home court, the No. 6 seed Indiana Fever stole Game 1 of their WNBA semifinal series, beating the 2-seedede Aces 89-73 at Michelob ULTRA Arena.
Indiana's Kelsey Mitchell scored 34 points on 12-for-23 shooting in the win. She's the first Fever player to score 30 points in a playoff game since 2012.
Wilson finished with 16 points, missing her first six shots from the field and finishing 6-of-22 from the floor. After winning 17 consecutive games, the Aces have now lost two of their last three (they lost Game 2 of their first-round series with Seattle).
Here's how Indiana took a 1-0 lead in the series, which resumes Tuesday (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
How did Indiana steal Game 1?
Indiana was the quicker team and played with more urgency from the opening tip. The aggressive play of the Fever backcourt, primarily Mitchell and Odyssey Sims, set a tone for which the Aces didn't appear ready. The confidence Indiana got from winning two in a row against the Atlanta Dream in the first round traveled to Las Vegas.
The Aces had no answer for Mitchell, regardless of who drew the defensive assignment. Her 34 points were a playoff career high and came on 12-of-23 shooting, producing one of the best playoff performances in Fever history. The Aces struggled staying in front of Mitchell early, which later opened plenty of shooting space. Mitchell made 4 of 6 3-point attempts. Sims presented nearly as many problems for Las Vegas with 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting.
With Wilson struggling from the floor and the Las Vegas guards unable to defend effectively, the Aces didn't have enough answers to overcome Mitchell, Indiana's offensive efficiency and 50% shooting. -- Creme
How does Las Vegas respond in Tuesday's Game 2?
The Aces are going to have to tighten their defense. After ranking ninth in the WNBA in defensive rating during a 14-14 start, Las Vegas improved to rank second during its winning streak, allowing less than a point per possession. The Storm easily beat that mark to snap the streak in Game 2 of the first round, and the Fever's 1.11 points per possession were the most the Aces have allowed since their 53-point loss to the Minnesota Lynx on Aug. 2.
In particular, Indiana carved up Las Vegas in the paint, scoring 50 points. The Aces only allowed more than that five times all season.
The other obvious adjustment for Las Vegas is to get Wilson going. As in the first round against Atlanta, Indiana did a strong job of taking away 3-point opportunities for the Aces, who attempted just 17. The trade-off is single coverage against Wilson in the post, yet the Fever held the MVP to 6-of-22 shooting, her most missed shots ever in a playoff game.
We saw the Storm have similar success defending Wilson 1-on-1 late in Game 2. She responded with 38 points on 14-of-26 shooting in the series clincher. -- Pelton
History for Kelsey Mitchell today: She scored the most points by a WNBA player in their first career semifinal game.
— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) September 21, 2025
via ESPN Research pic.twitter.com/EWvv4XUpxJ
How does this change the series?
The best-of-five format gives Las Vegas some margin for error. The Aces lost Game 1 of the 2020 semifinals before coming back to beat the Connecticut Sun in five games, albeit in a series played entirely on neutral courts at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
Las Vegas remains favored in the series, but Game 2 is now essentially a must-win for the Aces. No team has come back from a 2-0 hole to win a WNBA playoff series, and only one of the 19 teams in that situation (the 2018 Phoenix Mercury, against Seattle in the semifinals) has even forced a Game 5. -- Pelton
During their 17-game winning streak, the Aces only beat three playoff teams on the road -- Phoenix, Atlanta, Golden State -- so losing home-court advantage could matter. That dominance at Michelob ULTRA is now gone, and Las Vegas knows it now must get a win in Indiana. Meanwhile, the Fever's win also dispels any notion that their two regular-season victories over Las Vegas weren't meaningful because the Aces had yet to hit their stride. Indiana has now won three of the four matchups between the two teams. -- Creme