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Indiana vs. Las Vegas highlights: A’ja Wilson steals show against Caitlin Clark
The Indiana Fever hit the jackpot with No. 1 overall pick Caitlin Clark, but the Fever had their biggest test of the season so far against the back-to-back defending champion Las Vegas Aces.
2023 WNBA Finals MVP A’ja Wilson and the Aces routed Clark and the Fever, 99-80, on Saturday at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas.
The Fever have got off to a rough start and opened the season on a five-game losing streak. Indiana picked up their first win on Friday in their 78-73 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks, but couldn’t replicate any comeback magic on Saturday. The Aces, however, are off to a 3-1 start in their bid to become the first WNBA team to win three consecutive titles since Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson led the now-disbanded Houston Comets to four consecutive titles from 1997-2000.
Clark reunited on the court with former Iowa Hawkeyes teammate Kate Martin, who was drafted by the Aces with the 18th overall pick of 2024 WNBA draft. Martin attended the draft ceremony in support of Clark, the No. 1 overall pick, before she was selected by the Aces from the audience. (More on that below.)
There was no comeback magic for the Fever on Saturday. Indiana was blown out by the Aces, 99-80. The Fever drop to 1-6 on the season, while the Aces improve to 3-1.
A’ja Wilson led the Aces with 29 points, 15 rebounds and 2 assists, the 80th career double-double of her career. Jackie Young added 22 points and six assists, while Kelsey Plum had 20 points and four assists.
Caitlin Clark finished the contest with eight points, shooting 2-of-8 from the field and 2-of-5 from three. She also had seven assists and five rebounds, in addition to six turnovers. Kelsey Mitchell (16 points), Temi Fagbenle (13 points, 8 rebounds) and Aaliyah Boston (12 points, six rebounds) all scored double figures.
The Fever erased an 11-point deficit against the Los Angeles Sparks on Friday to win their first game of the season. Does Indiana have another comeback in them? The Fever currently trails 18 with 7:43 remaining in the game.
The Aces have their largest lead of the game heading into the fourth quarter. Las Vegas closed the third quarter on a 11-3 run to go up by 16 points over the Fever. A’ja Wilson has a game-high 27 points and 12 rebounds, while Jackie Young added 20 points and six assists.
Fever’s Kelsey Mitchell leads the team with 16 points, while Boston added 10 points and six rebounds and Caitlin Clark has eight points, five rebounds, five assists and five turnovers.
