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LAS VEGAS — In the history of the WNBA playoffs, teams that fell 0-2 went 0-19 in the series. Having already lost homecourt advantage in Game 1, the Las Vegas Aces could not afford a second loss at home before the semifinals turned to Indiana.
Aces head coach Becky Hammon said her team can sometimes be too nice, a theme that played out against Seattle in the first round and again Sunday in Game 1. She wanted to see some feistiness against the Indiana Fever with the Aces’ season on the line.
“Give me the effort,” Hammon said pregame. “We’ll be fine, but we can’t come out and have them play harder than us.
“You can’t tiptoe into a bar fight.”
After taking the first punch Sunday, Las Vegas delivered the opening blow Tuesday to even the WNBA semifinals at one game apiece. A’ja Wilson had 11 points in the first quarter, five off her total in the first game, and the Aces forced six turnovers, leading to eight points. They led by nine after the opening frame and the advantage didn’t dip below seven for the remainder of the night in a 90-68 win.
Wilson ended the game with 25 points, nine rebounds and five steals and saw a huge bounceback from her frontcourt partner NaLyssa Smith. The midseason acquisition, who spent the first three years of her WNBA career with the Fever, was active in the paint, cutting into open spaces and inviting contact. She was Las Vegas’ second leading scorer with 18 points and earned nine trips to the foul line, even if she only converted four.
The Aces won the battle of the paint 44-32, a 24-point switch from the opener. They call that area of the court “the house,” and it was their goal to protect it.
Smith’s energy was reflective of Las Vegas’ overall hustle. It scrapped for 50-50 balls and sprinted back in transition to limit Indiana to four fast-break points.
The No. 2 seed was insistent that the Fever hadn’t yet seen the real Aces. Now, they have.
This story will be updated.
(Photo: Candice Ward / NBAE via Getty Images)
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