Two games into the 2025 WNBA Semifinals series between the No. 2-seed Las Vegas Aces and the No. 6-seed Indiana Fever, not much has been decided. The Aces and Fever each have one win apiece in the best-of-five series, which now shifts to Indianapolis. Game 3 is scheduled to tip-off at 7:30 p.m. ET this Friday, Sept. 26, and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.
As a lower playoff seed, the Fever haven’t gotten to play many home games this postseason, so they’re probably eager to return to Indiana and regain some sort of advantage after getting blown out by the Aces in Game 2, 90-68. The tenacity and hustle that the shorthanded Fever had been playing with was largely missing in the loss, and head coach Stephanie White was quick to address it after the game.
Advertisement
“[The Aces] came in and they were physical and they dictated. We were on our heels and we were passive,” White said simply, pointing to the Aces’ 28 points off turnovers and 14 points off of offensive rebounds as sore spots. An early-game adjustment by Las Vegas to play a zone defense threw the Fever off their game, and things deteriorated from there; Indiana committed a total of 22 turnovers, which were far too many to compete against an Aces offense that was firing on all cylinders.
To be clear, there’s more the Fever can do to regain their momentum than just playing harder. Kelsey Mitchell, who scored a playoff career-high 34 points against the Aces in Game 1, was held in check in Game 2, scoring just 13 points on 4-for-14 shooting. That wasn’t for a lack of effort; White called Mitchell “a little pinball,” bouncing off Las Vegas defenders whenever she got into the lane, while also acknowledging that her team’s off-ball actions were not sharp enough to offset the Aces’ physicality. They’ll probably want to get Aliyah Boston, who scored 10 points in Game 2, more shots, too, lest they rely too heavily on Mitchell to carry them to victory.
As for the Aces, don’t expect them to take their foot off the gas. Referencing the physicality of the playoffs, Las Vegas head coach Becky Hammon stressed the importance of not “tiptoeing into a bar fight,” while Aces forward and 2025 WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson acknowledged that they still have something to prove as the series shifts to Indiana.
Advertisement
“Our experience there has not been great this season,” Wilson said, speaking of the Aces’ regular-season loss to the Fever in which they scored just 54 points. “Obviously, the crowd’s going to get into it. It’s a playoff atmosphere. The whole city’s going to come out, but that doesn’t change who we are … we’ve just got to keep the main thing, the main thing, and that’s continuing to be there for each other.”
The Aces are certainly a more impressive team when they lean into that philosophy. Wilson’s individual mastery is obvious–she added to her long list of strong playoff performances with a 25-point, five-steal effort in Game 2—but Las Vegas needs everyone on its roster to contribute if they’re going to get back to the Finals. Consider NaLyssa Smith as one of those players; the former Fever forward scored 18 points on 7-for-9 shooting in Game 2, and she might have an extra chip on her shoulder as she returns to Indiana.
Will the Fever be able to hang with the Aces at home and regain their lead in the series? Pulling out improbable wins has been one of Indiana’s defining characteristics in 2025, particularly towards the end of the regular season and in the playoffs. If the Aces come out on Friday like they did in Game 2, though, it’s going to be tough for the Fever to earn yet another upset.
Game information
No. 2-seed Las Vegas Aces (1-1) vs. No. 6-seed Indiana Fever (1-1)
-
When: Friday, Sept. 26 at 7:30 p.m. ET
-
Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN
