Fever pick up 90-83 win over Aces, force series-deciding Game 5 in Las Vegas

INDIANAPOLIS — The Fever extended their WNBA semifinal series against the Aces on Sunday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, picking up a 90-83 win.

With the Game 4 victory, the Fever tied the series, 2-2, and forced what will ultimately be a series-deciding Game 5 in Las Vegas on Tuesday.

Indiana was led by its All-Stars on Sunday, as center Aliyah Boston and guard Kelsey Mitchell scored 24 and 25 points, respectively. Boston also registered a double-double, adding 14 rebounds to her scoring contributions.

Guard Odyssey Sims finished the game with a double-figure scoring total for the Fever, amassing 18 points on the contest.

Reigning WNBA MVP A’Ja Wilson spearheaded the Aces’ efforts, scoring 31 points and corralling nine rebounds in Game 4. Jackie Young — who played college basketball at Notre Dame and was drafted No. 1 overall in the 2019 WNBA Draft — also made significant contributions for the Aces, finishing Sunday’s game with 18 points and nine assists.

Much may also be made of a free-throw disparity that unfolded during Sunday’s game. Las Vegas shot just 11 free throws while Indiana attempted 34 of them. Boston shot more free throws than anybody else on the contest, going 10-of-13 from the charity stripe. In total, the Fever made 26 of their free-throw attempts.

Former Indiana Fever forward NaLyssa Smith also had a solid outing for the Aces, scoring eight points. Smith, who has averaged about 7.6 points and 5.1 rebounds a game this season, spent her first three WNBA seasons with the Fever and had a brief stint with the Dallas Wings before landing in Las Vegas.

The Fever have already won a series-deciding game this postseason. Indiana claimed Game 3 of its best-of-three series with the Atlanta Dream, 87-85, in the first round of the WNBA Playoffs to set up their semifinal matchup with the Aces.

If the Fever win Game 5 of their series with the Aces, they will advance to the WNBA Finals. They will play the Minnesota Lynx or the Phoenix Mercury in the finals, depending on which team wins the other WNBA semifinal series.

The Fever have manufactured their playoff run in spite of all the injuries their players have suffered this season. Point guard Caitlin Clark has fought a groin injury for much of this year. She played in just 13 games before she was ruled out for the season earlier this month.

Indiana also lost Sophie Cunningham to a season-ending knee injury in August. This season, Cunningham and Clark averaged 8.6 and 16.5 points per game, respectively.

The Fever’s depth took a hit on Aug. 8 when backup guards Sydney Colson and Aari McDonald were ruled out for the season with injuries.

Multiple players on the Fever’s current roster were not on the team when the season began in May, including Sims, Shey Peddy and guard Aerial Powers.

Game 5 of the Aces and Fever’s series will tip off at 9:30 p.m. The game is set to air on ESPN2.