Fever

Three plays and questions that will define Fever-Aces

The WNBA playoffs are here.

The Fever practicing in the Aces practice facility in July.

Fever-Aces begins in about half an hour. It projects to be a fun series between the top two offenses from the 2026 season.

The Fever must stick to their tempo if they want to win. If the style of the action suits the Aces, the Fever are drawing dead. Their defense isn't good enough to hold up in a slower game. They handled Las Vegas twice in the regular season largely because of their pace.

"For us, what worked really well was just our pace, continuing to get up and down the floor," Aliyah Boston said of the matchup.

Expect the Fever to tighten their rotation and lean into their style in this series. Their stars make it all possible, as they have all year. But role players will be crucial as well.

"We're going to need our role players to be stars in their roles. We're going to need them to do what they do best," Fever head coach Stephanie White said before Game 1.

Here are a few possessions from the regular season that will prove vital in this series.

Can Lexie Hull make jumpers?

Lexie Hull shot just 33.7% on threes this season, the lowest percentage of her career since Caitlin Clark was drafted. The Aces guarded her like a non-threat from deep all year.

That screenshot is from the first game between the two teams in 2026. And that's at the top of the key. Here's Hull in the corner during the same game.

Hull will play in this series. Her defense is too important against a team that has Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young. But she'll have to make shots to have a major impact.

How high up will the Aces defend ball screens?

Some teams attempt to limit Caitlin Clark by picking her up high after a ball screen. That limits her vision and makes pull-up threes more difficult, but opens up the floor for the Fever's other four players.

Here's how Las Vegas defended Clark in July – both of these plays finished with a Clark assist.

Makayla Timpson scored on that play.

Monique Billings scored here as A'ja Wilson pinched in to help after Boston rolled hard to the basket.

If the Aces opt to send disruptive coverages Clark's way, the Fever will have to take advantage of the four-on-three situations behind the play or cut hard and open up passing angles for their star point guard.

Who, and how, to defend A'ja Wilson?

If the Fever shut down A'ja Wilson in this series, they'll be the first team to do so.

Much has been made of Boston's defense on Wilson this season – she's been great. But it was really a team effort from the Fever that made the MVP favorite work for her points in this matchup.

Wilson frequently saw two defenders in the lane when she had space to drive.

And when she did put up a shot or approach the basket, two Fever defenders were often tasked with crowding her space and contesting. Boston is not involved in either of these contests, for example.

There was a LOT of switching on that possession.

All this to say: Wilson will be Boston's primary assignment, but it will take the entire Fever team to slow her down. Rotations, communications, and help defense will be key... which have been issues for the Fever all year.

It's go time for the Fever's postseason run. Here is Stephanie White before Game 1.