Wilson powers Aces past Clark, Fever in Game 1 of WNBA quarterfinals

A’ja Wilson didn’t feel like she was in a “flow” state of mind Sunday.

It didn’t matter.

Wilson tied her career playoff high with 38 points as the Las Vegas Aces defeated Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever 102-85 their WNBA playoffs opener Sunday.

“I think that I just did my job,” Wilson said following

in Game 1 of their first-round series Sunday at Michelob Ultra Arena. “I did what my teammates are expecting me to do.”

The Aces are one win from advancing to the WNBA semifinals after taking a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series. Game 2 is 3:30 p.m. PT Tuesday in Indianapolis at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Nobody was expecting Wilson to add 16 rebounds and four blocks. And the Fever likely didn’t plan for guards Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young to combine for 35 points and 18 assists while shooting 54 percent from the field.

Wilson, the four-time MVP, is coming off her third consecutive league scoring title after finishing the regular season with 1,073 points, the second-most in WNBA single-season history and 13 behind Kelsey Mitchell’s league record.

“(A’ja Wilson) was a clinic tonight,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said. “She was all over the court on the defensive end, the offensive end, blocked shots, boards, scoring. I mean there was nothing she couldn’t do tonight.

“The demands we put on her throughout the regular season are high, and she understands the stakes always.”

Gray’s eight assists moved her into the No. 2 spot on the WNBA’s all-time playoff assists list, while Young’s 10 assists were enough to move her past DeWanna Bonner and into the top 10 in the same category.

The Fever were unable to repeat last season’s semifinal-opening upset of the Aces. Indiana stole Game 1 on the road, even with Clark and Sophie Cunningham available this time around. The Aces advanced to finals after winning three of the next four games.

Despite playing against the No. 1 scoring offense, the Aces were able to slow down the Fever while also finding success in multiple areas.

Las Vegas, which has won eight in a row, forced 17 Indiana turnovers and turned those opportunities into 28 points. That defense helped them build a game-high 27-point lead and prevented the Fever’s three stars from getting hot early.

In the first half, the Aces held Mitchell, Aliyah Boston and Clark to 11 of 27 from the field. On the other hand, Las Vegas shot 65 percent from the field, including seven 3-pointers.

The Fever continued to climb back, pulling the Aces’ lead into single digits at times, but prolonged scoring droughts prevented Indiana from gaining enough momentum as Las Vegas led for 88 percent of the game.

“When we are able to get stops defensively and we are playing out of transition there are so many moments where we get wide open layups or wide open threes,” Gray said. “I think we are really tough in our flow and in our secondary action.

“When we were getting stops and we weren’t taking the ball off of the rim we were just off to the races.”

Contact Donovan Hicks at dhicks@reviewjournal.com. Follow @HicksSports on X.