Aces’ three-game winning streak snapped in fourth ever loss to Fever

Who would be missed more? A’ja Wilson or Caitlin Clark?

Two of the league’s all-star starters were absent Sunday at T-Mobile Arena because of injuries.

That seemed to faze the Fever far less than the Aces as Kelsey Mitchell scored 27 points, leading Indiana to an 84-68 victory over Las Vegas.

The Aces (15-6) were without Wilson, who missed her third consecutive game with an ankle injury. The Fever (12-8) played without Clark, who missed her second straight game with a lingering back injury.

Advantage, Fever.

“We are trying to find ways to win basketball games,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said of Wilson’s injury. “We have had to play small a little bit more, and we have had to scrap, but it is not just her points. It is her gravity and her pull.

“Her presence gets other people open, and now we are in a situation where people are really cheating off some players. We have to do a better job of finding space and moving the ball.”

Mitchell, who entered the game averaging a team-high 21.6 points per game, benefited the most. She hit 7-of-18 field goals, including 3-of-9 3-pointers.

Turnovers and rebounding proved costly for Las Vegas, which committed 13 turnovers that led to 13 Indiana points and was outrebounded 39-30.

Although the Fever led for 76% of the game, they struggled offensively in the first half, shooting 44% from the field and 27% from 3-point range.

The game turned in the third quarter, when Indiana used a 17-4 run over a little more than three minutes to build a game-high 13-point lead. Three consecutive 3-pointers fueled the surge and gave the Fever all the separation they needed.

“The boards definitely hurt us, but I thought, quite frankly, we just ran out of gas,” Hammon said. “We looked tired and couldn’t muster up enough energy to sprint through screens offensively, but the offensive boards definitely hurt us.

“It gets to be a compounding effect when you’re not getting stops, or they are getting second, third and fourth opportunities. It is just super deflating.”

Jackie Young led Las Vegas with 15 points, four assists and two rebounds. It marked the first time since June 15 that she was held below 20 points in consecutive games. She entered the game averaging more than 20 points during her past six games.

Jewell Loyd added 12 points and three rebounds in her second consecutive start in Wilson’s absence and passed Tangela Smith for No. 19 on the WNBA’s all-time made field goals list with 2,061.

The victory was Indiana’s third straight over Las Vegas, though the Fever are 4-21 against the Aces since the franchise relocated to Las Vegas in 2018. This was Indiana’s first win in 12 games in Las Vegas.

Up next

The Aces travel to Portland to face the Fire on July 9 before returning home for a two-game homestand, including a rematch with Indiana on July 12 at Michelob Ultra Arena.

Las Vegas enters the trip with a league-leading 9-2 road record and a 6-4 mark at home through 21 games this season.