Fever start playoffs with crushing loss to Aces, on brink of elimination: Likes and Dislikes
The Fever are down 0-1.
MY OFFICE, Ind. – Playoff time. Fever vs Aces Game 1 was Sunday afternoon in Las Vegas, a huge game given the best-of-three format. The Fever are better, and healthier, than they were at this time last year. The Aces are the reigning champs.
It set up an epic first-round series with many keys. The Fever went 2-1 against Las Vegas in the regular season and nearly upset them in the semifinals last year before falling in overtime of Game 5. These teams have history.
But both groups said the past didn't matter. All they care about is the present and trying to advance in the postseason. Likes and Dislikes from Fever-Aces Game 1.
Tony East
LIKE: Defensive creativity
Stephanie White started this game with Makayla Timpson guarding Chelsea Gray, and the intention seemed obvious.
By doing that, and having Lexie Hull planted on Jackie Young, the Fever backcourt of Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell could "hide" on Steph Talbot and Brianna Turner. Those two are less involved for the Aces offensively, making it easier for the Fever backcourt to use their energy on offense.
It was a big task for Timpson. Gray had four points at the game's first stoppage. But it was a creative idea from White and her staff.
DISLIKE: Finishing to open the game
The Fever missed four shots right at the basket in the first five minutes of play.
Granted, none of them were simple finishes. Las Vegas was defending the rim well and cutting off drives. But the Fever needed better accuracy at the cup after starting 1/5 on two-point shots.
Exiting the game's first stoppage, the Fever's offensive cutting led to some wide open layups that dropped in. Those buckets tied the game. Yet the Fever would have held an early lead if not for their missed shots in the lane in the first few minutes.
LIKE: The start from role players
Pregame, White said the Fever were "going to need our role players to be stars in their roles." They were in the first quarter.
Sophie Cunningham was 2/2 from deep, with both coming consecutively after a 10-0 Aces run. Hull drilled a corner three. Timpson scored on a putback.
Despite the Fever struggling with their finishing and screen navigation, they were down just four after one quarter with their role players perfect from the field. It was 27-23.
LIKE: Raven Johnson's first playoff minutes
Rookie guard Raven Johnson made her playoff debut late in the first quarter, and her minutes were crucial with Ty Harris out for the season.
Johnson has tons of big-game experience from her college days, and she played like it during her second-quarter stint. First, a slithery drive from the right wing for a reverse layup, then a speedy push to the cup after dribbling around a ball screen.
She made her first two shots and provided defensive pressure. The Fever kept up in the first half thanks to their role players, and Johnson continued that until she threw away an ugly turnover in the middle of the second quarter.
DISLIKE: Defense and connectivity
It's been obvious all year that the Fever were going to need a better defensive level in the playoffs. For much of the first half in this game, they didn't have it.
The Fever's defense against screens, both off ball and ballscreens, was poor. Their transition defense wasn't much better, and that allowed the Aces to keep scoring despite the pace of the game generally being faster. Usually, that's what the Fever want.
In this case, the tempo didn't matter. The Aces were scoring fairly easily – most of their shots were open, though Gray was hitting some tough ones. White had to get her team on track defensively.
DISLIKE: Adding more challenges
The Fever's offensive flow was fine, but not quite as smooth as it can be. White had to call a mid-possession timeout at one point as the Fever's attack died and had no structure.
Even with some team-level struggles and Mitchell going 3/12 in the first half, the Fever scored 47 points. They were finding some solutions on the offensive end. But their defense, as mentioned, was poor. And they were making more challenges for themselves with nine turnovers.
To the Fever's credit, they hit the offensive glass. But taking fewer shots than their opponent in a half that finished with the Aces shooting 65% just can't happen. The Fever had to clean up some little things in the second half. It was 62-47 at the break.
DISLIKE: Wasn't this the league's top offense?
It took almost 5.5 minutes for the Fever to make their second shot of the third quarter.
They started 1/10 from the field in that stretch, which included two turnovers. The Fever's defense was okay – better than the first half – during that run of play. But they couldn't score, and for the league's top offense in the regular season that's a big problem.
White opted to take Clark out of the game earlier than she did in the first half, bringing in Johnson while Makayla Timpson was still in the game. That group had a limited offensive ceiling. Then, as Clark returned, Johnson stayed in the game as Mitchell exited.
The Fever needed to lean into their offense with a big deficit. But they weren't, and they were down 22 points later in the third quarter after a miscommunication while playing some zone on defense. Just about everything was going wrong to open the second half – sub patterns, scoring, and defensive focus.
While the Fever found some points later in the third frame, many of their concerns held going into the fourth. It was 86-65 after three quarters, and the Fever were visibly frustrated.
DISLIKE: A'ja Wilson doing it all
A'ja Wilson is a near-lock to win the league's MVP award for the 2026 season. It's no secret that she's borderline unstoppable. In the regular season, Boston did well in those battles and had enough help to at least keep Wilson relatively in check.
In Game 1, that wasn't happening. To start the fourth quarter, after the Fever made two outside shots to cut their deficit to 15, Wilson scored seven quick points to quell momentum and keep the Fever away.
With four minutes to go, Wilson had 37 points and 16 assists. Dominant, and she made sure the Fever couldn't catch up in the final frame. She finished tied with her previous playoff career high at 38 points.
LIKE: A little better, I guess
The Fever mixed in some zone defense in the second half and held the Aces to 40 points across the last two quarters. That was a major improvement over the team's first-half level.
Granted, their offense crashed and finished with 38 points in the second half. That's not close to good enough. But the Fever kept the scoreboard close in the final two quarters, and they need to carry over some of that defensive pressure into Game 2. And of course, their typical offensive level must return.
Game 1 was ugly for the Fever. They looked disjointed on both ends and couldn't get their offense going. The final score was 102-85 Aces. It's 1-0 Las Vegas in the best of three with Game 2 on Tuesday.
Thank you for reading. Game 2 on Tuesday. Sign up for more Fever coverage this week and beyond.
Comments ()