WNBA playoffs: A'ja Wilson, Aces roll to blowout win over Fever to even series 1-1

Ian Maule via Getty Images

The Las Vegas Aces once again look like the best team in the WNBA.

The Aces, after a shocking blowout loss on Sunday night, returned the favor on Tuesday at Michelob Ultra Arena. They cruised to a dominant 90-68 win over the Indiana Fever in Game 2 of their semifinals series. That tied the series up 1-1 as it shifts to Indianapolis for the first time.

Kelsey Mitchell went off on Sunday night in Game 1 to power the Fever to their win. She dropped 34 points, which was the second-most in franchise playoff history, while leading Indiana to the 89-73 win. It marked only the second loss for the Aces in their last 20 games after the team wrapped up the regular season on a 16-game winning streak.

But on Tuesday, Mitchell and the Fever struggled to replicate that. The Aces took a nine-point lead after the opening quarter, and then they went off on an 11-2 run to suddenly break open an 18-point lead. Aliyah Boston kept the Fever in it and limited the damage a bit — she nearly had a double-double in the books by halftime — and they went on a brief 11-0 run to cut it back to single digits, the Aces still took an 11-point lead into the break.

Becky Hammon, however, erupted on the sidelines just 45 seconds into the third quarter. She called a timeout almost immediately in the second half after Lexie Hull drilled a 3-pointer and then Mitchell sank a fast-break layup off a bad steal on the other end right out of the gate.

Whatever Hammon said in that timeout seemed to work. The Aces defense improved instantly. They allowed just 12 points the rest of the quarter and largely shut down the Fever offense. Wilson came up with a massive block inside to help force a shot clock violation, too.

By the end of the period, they were back on top by 18. The Fever made just two shots in the final nearly seven minutes of the quarter, too, and shot just 5-of-17 from the field as a group.

From there, the game was well out of reach for Indiana. The Aces cruised to the 22-point win without any issue in the final 10 minutes to officially tie the series back up.

Wilson finished with 25 points and nine rebounds and had five steals while shooting 10-of-18 from the field. NaLyssa Smith finished with 18 points and seven rebounds, and Jackie Young added 13 points. They made just five 3-pointers as a team, but shot nearly 54% from the field. 

Odyssey Sims led the Fever with 18 points and seven assists in the loss. Boston had 10 points and 13 rebounds after her strong first half, and Mitchell added 13 points while shooting just 1-of-6 from behind the arc. 

Game 3 of the series is set for Friday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. While winning on the road certainly won't be easy, the Aces looked back like the team that went on the dominant run to close out the regular season. Beating them when they look like this, as they've shown time and again in recent weeks, is nearly impossible.