Las Vegas Aces rally from down 20, beat Indiana Fever on Chelsea Gray's game-winning shot
· Yahoo Sports
INDIANAPOLIS — In a game that saw major runs on both sides, the Indiana Fever fell to the Las Vegas Aces 86-84 in overtime on two buzzer-beaters from Chelsea Gray.
Gray made the shot to force overtime as time expired, then she was left wide open as the seconds ticked down in overtime. She shot a 3-pointer, and it went through the basket as time expired.
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Caitlin Clark finished with 20 points and eight assists, going 2 for 10 on 3-pointers. She missed a pair of free throws with a three-point lead at the end of regulation, and had a turnover that led to Gray's game-winner. Aliyah Boston had 21 points and 12 rebounds, and Kelsey Mitchell added a game-high 28 points and four assists.
Princeton native Jackie Young had 22 points and nine assists. Wilson finished with 26 points, 13 rebounds and two blocked shots.
Here's what I liked and disliked, and what the loss means.
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What I liked in the Indiana Fever's loss vs Las Vegas Aces
- Start of the second quarter: The Fever and Aces essentially went shot for shot in the first quarter, with Indiana holding a two-point lead after the opening 10 minutes. The Fever managed to create some separation at the beginning of the second quarter, going on a methodical 8-0 run over the first four minutes of the second quarter. Boston accounted for six of those points on two 3-pointers, and the Fever went got on a 10-2 roll before Aces coach Becky Hammon angrily called a timeout around the 5-minute mark.
- Playing with pace: The Aces' woes continued through the second quarter, and that was because the Fever were playing with a high level of tempo and pace. Clark was able to rush down the court easily, find open holes, and get the ball under the basket to Mitchell or Makayla Timpson. Indiana ended up going on a 22-4 run over the first seven minutes of the second quarter, building up a 20-point lead before it all came crumbling down.
- Caitlin Clark taking charge: Time was running out in the fourth, and Clark knew it. So, over an outstretched hand from Stephanie Talbot, she threw up a 3-pointer. And it swished in the basket to give the Fever a one-point lead, forcing the Aces to take a timeout. A minute later, Clark stole the ball from an unsuspecting A'ja Wilson and got down the court for an uncontested layup to give the Fever another one-point lead. She came in clutch again a minute later, always responding as the Fever and Aces went shot for shot with a long 3-pointer for another Fever lead.
What I disliked in the Indiana Fever's loss vs Las Vegas Aces
- Flipping the switch: With three minutes left in the second quarter, it felt like a switch flipped for the Fever. That pace they played with? Gone. The nifty passes from Clark? Those lanes were closed. Young personally went on a 13-0 run following a timeout from Indiana, taking advantage of that same pace the Fever had been playing with minutes earlier. Some timely steals from Wilson and Gray helped extend the run, and what was once a 20-point Fever lead quickly turned into just a five-point deficit for the Aces by halftime.
- An unbearably cold stretch: The Indiana Fever went nearly 10 minutes without a field goal, with that stretch spanning from the 4-minute mark of the second quarter to the 4:18 mark of the third. In that entire stretch, the Fever completely erased the run they had built up in the second quarter. Indiana's only points in that near 10-minute stretch came from two Clark free throws, and when all was said and done, it was a 26-2 run from the Aces by the time Mitchell dropped in the Fever's first basket of the third quarter. In that stretch, the Fever were 0 of 10 from the field with six turnovers.
- A terrible, no good final 10 seconds: Put this down as one of the times the fouling at the end of games works. After Boston's putback layup put the Fever up by two points with 31 seconds left, the Fever made a litany of errors to end the game. Mitchell, after being fouled, made one of two from the line to put the Fever up three points, then Clark was fouled after the Aces stepped on the line and the Fever got the ball back. Clark uncharacteristically missed both, keeping the Aces within one possession with 4.8 seconds left. And the Aces, through a chaotic final possession that saw Young corral a Boston deflection over Lexie Hull and get it out to Gray, who got a 3-pointer into the basket before the buzzer sounded.
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What the Indiana Fever loss vs Las Vegas Aces means
For the second straight game, minor mistakes near the end of the game was what gave the Fever (19-12) the loss. Between the missed free-throws and not anticipating a 3-pointer from Gray at the end of overtime, the Fever missed some opportunities to take this game and sweep the series from the Aces (22-9).
Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at [email protected]. Get IndyStar's Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter. Subscribe to IndyStar TV: Fever for in-depth analysis, behind-the-scenes coverage and more.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Las Vegas Aces rally from down 20, beat Indiana Fever on Chelsea Gray's game-winning shot