The third-seeded Aces, who have won three of the past four titles, moved on to play the winner of the Golden State-Dallas series, which will be decided Friday night in San Francisco.
Las Vegas Aces advanced past the Indiana Fever in the WNBA playoffs first round after A'ja Wilson’s 36‑point outburst powered a 94‑83 Game 3 victory on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026 at 8:54 p.m.
Wilson, the four‑time WNBA MVP, made 11 of 18 shots and pulled down 10 rebounds while scoring 36 points. She had opened the series with 38 points and 16 rebounds in Game 1. Teammate Chelsea Gray contributed 23 points and Jackie Young added 18.
Indiana’s Caitlin Clark scored 11 points in the opening quarter but was limited to seven points the rest of the game for a total of 18. Kelsey Mitchell led the Fever with 23 points, and Aliyah Boston recorded 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Tensions flared early when Clark and Las Vegas’ Brianna Turner each received a technical foul just over three minutes into the contest. The Fever were huddling as Turner worked her way into the lane, only to be shoved aside by Clark. In the second quarter, Indiana coach Stephanie White was whistled for a technical after arguing that Turner had brought down Lexie Hull; Hull was instead assessed the foul.
The Aces seized control in the third quarter, building a 67‑55 advantage before going cold over the final 4:32 and managing just one field goal. Indiana trimmed the deficit to two points in the fourth quarter, forcing Las Vegas to sweat out the finish.
Stephanie Talbot, who had started every game but one this season, did not play due to a leg injury. Jewell Loyd entered the lineup and scored 11 points. Talbot averaged 8.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in the first two games of the series.
As the third‑seed, Las Vegas has won three of the past four championships and will meet the victor of the Golden State‑Dallas series, which is set to be decided Friday night in San Francisco.
This marks the second consecutive year the Aces have ended the season for Clark and the Fever, who entered as the sixth seed. The teams met in the semifinals a year ago, with Las Vegas prevailing in overtime during the finale of a five‑game series.
Wilson’s dominant performances in Games 1 and 3 ensured that her verbal exchange with a Fever fan in Indianapolis on Tuesday would not be the lasting memory of the series. The league opted not to discipline Wilson, who launched the opening game with 38 points and 16 rebounds before following up with 11‑of‑18 shooting and 10 rebounds in the clincher.
Sincity Press Staff
1 day ago 2 min read
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