3-point shooting costly as Indiana Fever season ends in loss to Aces, A'ja Wilson

LAS VEGAS — The Indiana Fever‘s season ended Thursday with a 94-83 loss to the Las Vegas Aces in Game 3 of the best-of-3 first-round WNBA Playoffs series.

The Fever trailed by six at half, and closed the gap at points in the second half, but couldn’t pull away. Caitlin Clark finished with 18 points, four assists and four blocked shots. Kelsey Mitchell had a team-high 23 points. Aliyah Boston added 19 points, 10 rebounds and three assists and, off the bench, Myisha Hines-Allen had 12 points and 12 rebounds. The Fever were 9 for 32 (28.1%) on 3-pointers.

Four-time MVP A’ja Wilson had 36 points on 11-of-18 shooting and 10 rebounds. Chelsea Gray had 23 points, five assists and four rebounds, and Princeton native Jackie Young added 18 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

Here is what I liked and disliked, and a look at what’s ahead.

<1 / 8

<2 / 8

<3 / 8

<4 / 8

<5 / 8

<6 / 8

<7 / 8

<8 / 8

• Close only counts in horse shoes and hand grenades, but there is something to be said for how the Fever battled back on a night when not much went their way. For the second straight season, they hung in there and pushed the defending WNBA champions to the brink. But the offensive cold streaks Thursday were just too much to overcome.

• The Fever shot 30% between the second and third quarters. And yet, they only trailed by five entering the fourth. How? Turnovers and good-enough defense. Indiana only turned it over four times in the middle two quarters, and limited Vegas to 34% shooting.

• The Fever’s energy leading into Game 3. I’m writing this during the first quarter, so it’s not a results-oriented take. But Indiana was very loose and upbeat during shootaround, then maintained that mentality during the portion of pregame warmups. They were dancing and smiling, seemingly oblivious to the pressure cooker they were about to step into. Whatever nerves they had were relatively subdued, and that translated to a lightning fast start with Mitchell and Clark teaming up on a 10-2 run before Boston got involved and extended the team’s lead to eight less than three minutes into regulation.

• The Fever’s first-quarter offense. The Fever shot 54.2% from the floor, with Mitchell, Clark and Boston accounting for 26 of their first 31 points.

• Big picture: Raven Johnson‘s emergence this series. The rookie really came into her own after the FIBA World Cup break, and continued performing at a high-level throughout the playoffs. 

Close only counts in horse shoes and hand grenades, but there is something to be said for how the Fever battled back on a night when not much went their way. For the second straight season, they hung in there and pushed the defending WNBA champions to the brink. But the offensive cold streaks Thursday were just too much to overcome.

The Fever shot 30% between the second and third quarters. And yet, they only trailed by five entering the fourth. How? Turnovers and good-enough defense. Indiana only turned it over four times in the middle two quarters, and limited Vegas to 34% shooting.

The Fever’s energy leading into Game 3. I’m writing this during the first quarter, so it’s not a results-oriented take. But Indiana was very loose and upbeat during shootaround, then maintained that mentality during the portion of pregame warmups. They were dancing and smiling, seemingly oblivious to the pressure cooker they were about to step into. Whatever nerves they had were relatively subdued, and that translated to a lightning fast start with Mitchell and Clark teaming up on a 10-2 run before Boston got involved and extended the team’s lead to eight less than three minutes into regulation.

The Fever’s first-quarter offense. The Fever shot 54.2% from the floor, with Mitchell, Clark and Boston accounting for 26 of their first 31 points.

Big picture: Raven Johnson‘s emergence this series. The rookie really came into her own after the FIBA World Cup break, and continued performing at a high-level throughout the playoffs. 

• For whatever reason, it just never felt like the Fever offense was able to find its level during this series – at least not consistently. And that ultimately resulted in their demise Thursday.

• Fever cold streak. Hines-Allen tied the score at 42 with a fast-break layup at the 3:54 mark of the second quarter. The Fever missed their next 10 shots from the field, a shooting drought that extended through halftime. Mitchell snapped the dry spell with a 3-pointer, then Clark followed with a steal. But instead of attempting the layup through contact, she attempted a behind-the-back pass to Mitchell that was woefully off the mark and sailed out of bounds. (The Aces capitalized with a jumper to push lead back to nine).

• The first-quarter defense. Despite shooting that blistering 54% through the first 10 minutes, the Fever allowed Vegas to convert 12 of its first 18 shots from the field, with Wilson accounting for 14 of their first 31 points. 

• The officiating. To be clear, the referees are not the reason why the Indiana Fever’s season is over. They missed far too many shots for that to come into play. But the inconsistency of the calls prevented the game from ever establishing much of a flow and made it virtually impossible for either side to find much of a rhythm defensively (the line for physicality was a moving target).

For whatever reason, it just never felt like the Fever offense was able to find its level during this series – at least not consistently. And that ultimately resulted in their demise Thursday.

Fever cold streak. Hines-Allen tied the score at 42 with a fast-break layup at the 3:54 mark of the second quarter. The Fever missed their next 10 shots from the field, a shooting drought that extended through halftime. Mitchell snapped the dry spell with a 3-pointer, then Clark followed with a steal. But instead of attempting the layup through contact, she attempted a behind-the-back pass to Mitchell that was woefully off the mark and sailed out of bounds. (The Aces capitalized with a jumper to push lead back to nine).

The first-quarter defense. Despite shooting that blistering 54% through the first 10 minutes, the Fever allowed Vegas to convert 12 of its first 18 shots from the field, with Wilson accounting for 14 of their first 31 points. 

The officiating. To be clear, the referees are not the reason why the Indiana Fever’s season is over. They missed far too many shots for that to come into play. But the inconsistency of the calls prevented the game from ever establishing much of a flow and made it virtually impossible for either side to find much of a rhythm defensively (the line for physicality was a moving target).

<1 / 13

<2 / 13

<3 / 13

<4 / 13

<5 / 13

<6 / 13

<7 / 13

<8 / 13

<9 / 13

<10 / 13

<11 / 13

<12 / 13

<13 / 13

And so begins an offseason of significant consequence for the Indiana Fever. They have four unrestricted free agents, including record-setting guard Mitchell, who will be eligible for a supermax contract. There’s also Clark’s situation to consider. She’s entering the fourth and final year of her rookie deal, meaning she’s also eligible for a million-dollar deal.

In terms of priorities: Fortifying the wing position and reconfiguring the front court beyond Boston figure to be Nos. 1 and 2 (in some order).

Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen. 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.