‘They delivered in big moments’: Aces eliminate Fever, return to WNBA semis — PHOTOS

Every time A’ja Wilson steps on the court, she knows the opponent is coming for her.

Thursday night was no different.

But with the Las Vegas Aces’ season on the line, Wilson, the four-time MVP, answered the challenge once again. The defending champion Aces are headed back to the WNBA playoff semifinals after beating the Indiana Fever 94-83 in a series-deciding Game 3 at Michelob Ultra Arena.

“I know that every single time that I step out on the court everyone is going to try their best against me because of the resume or because of the team that I am on,” Wilson said. “I can’t take days off. I have to constantly keep my guard up.

“If I want to be the best and be on the best team and play with the best players, I’ve got to hold my end of the city.”

Wilson scored a game-high 34 points and surpassed 1,250 playoff points. She led an offensive attack that featured four players in double figures, including Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray and Jewell Loyd, as the Aces claimed their 11th playoff series victory in the past five seasons.

After scoring 22 points in Game 2 at Indianapolis while making five shots from the field, Wilson responded with a 61 percent shooting performance while adding 10 rebounds and a block for her 167th career double-double.

Among the other two members of the Aces’ “Big Three,” Gray and Young totaled 23 and 18 points, respectively, while knocking down three 3-pointers.

Young also added eight rebounds and seven assists while passing Tamika Catchings for No. 9 on the all-time playoff assists list with 227.

Loyd also added three 3-pointers in her first start of the postseason, replacing Stephanie Talbot, who was added to the injury report pregame with a leg injury and was unable to suit up.

The win extended the Aces’ home winning streak to five games and knocked Caitlin Clark and the Fever out of the playoffs for the second consecutive season.

Las Vegas improved to 30-9 in playoff games during the Becky Hammon era and moved one series closer to its fourth WNBA championship in five seasons.

“Yes,” Hammon said in response to whether this was a game in which she needed her leaders to handle things. “I needed them to go be the ‘big three’ that I’ve always known them to be, and they delivered in big moments.

“When we found out about Steph (Talbot) right before the game, I just told them to be ready to run 40 (minutes). You’re not coming out until you tell me you need one. They are champions and that is the spirit they carry with them.”

Talbot missed the game with a leg injury.

Although Clark, Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell combined for 60 of Indiana’s 83 points, the Aces found a way to contest their shooting lanes as the three shot a combined 36.8 percent from the field on 57 shot attempts and 29 percent from 3-point range.

The game’s tone was set early, as the Aces could have folded after falling behind 12-4 in the opening minutes of the first quarter, but the three-time world champions battled back to tie the game at 31 after 10 minutes.

After the opening quarter the Las Vegas held the Fever to under 18 points in each of the following three quarters.

“I mean the amount of effort and energy we have to put in every possession, to be honest (the Fever) is an impressive offense,” Hammon said. “They went out and busted a tremendous execution and effort on the defensive end to give us a chance to win this game.”

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