A'ja Wilson's 36 and 10 Close Out the Fever

Photo: WNBA.com. Official A'ja Wilson headshot, Las Vegas Aces.

A'ja Wilson scored 36 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the Las Vegas Aces beat the Indiana Fever 94-83 in Game 3 on Thursday night and closed the first-round series 2-1.

The line came on 11-of-18 shooting and 12-of-15 free throws in 37 minutes. Wilson opened the series with 38 points and 16 rebounds in Game 1 and finished it with 36 and 10 in Game 3, and the defending champions sent the sixth seed home.

That is the second straight year Las Vegas has ended the season for Caitlin Clark and the Fever. A year ago the Aces needed five games and overtime in the semifinals. This time the series was best-of-three, and the closeout came at Michelob Ultra Arena after Clark's 27 and 15 in Game 2 forced the trip back west. The Dyme already logged Jackie Young's 21 and 10 in the Game 1 opener.

The fourth quarter nearly flipped the series. Las Vegas pushed the lead to 67-55 in the third, then went cold over the final 4:32 of that quarter and made one shot, per the AP. Indiana cut the deficit to two points twice in the fourth. Kelsey Mitchell's personal 7-0 run, capped by a 3-pointer, made it 82-80 with 3:00 left, per Bleacher Report and ESPN. On the next trip Mitchell missed and was called for a loose-ball foul, and the Fever's challenge failed, per ESPN. The Aces closed on a 12-3 run, with 10 of those points coming at the free-throw line, per Bleacher Report. Las Vegas went 28 of 35 from the line for the game.

Chelsea Gray scored 23 and Jackie Young added 18 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. Jewell Loyd started in place of Stephanie Talbot (leg) and scored 11. With Talbot out, Aces coach Becky Hammon told Gray and Young to "be ready to run 40." Both played all 40 minutes, per ESPN. Gray scored 11 of her 23 in the fourth quarter, per Bleacher Report.

Clark finished with 18 points on 6-of-18 shooting, two rebounds, four assists, two steals, and four blocks. She scored 11 in the first quarter and seven the rest of the way, per the AP. She went 3-of-12 from three and committed a game-high six turnovers, per Bleacher Report. Mitchell led Indiana with 23 points and 10 rebounds on 7-of-23. Aliyah Boston had 19 and 10. Myisha Hines-Allen added 12 and 12. Clark and Mitchell combined for 13 makes on 41 attempts.

Wilson's verbal confrontation with a Fever fan in Indianapolis during Tuesday's Game 2 drew the headlines between Games 2 and 3. She received a technical foul in that game and no further discipline from the league, per ESPN. "I have my days. I have my moments because I'm human," Wilson told ESPN. Thursday opened with technicals on Clark and Brianna Turner, and Stephanie White drew a technical in the second quarter, per the AP.

Next for Las Vegas is Golden State or Dallas in the best-of-five semifinals, which start Sunday, per Bleacher Report. The Valkyries and Wings play Game 3 on Friday night in San Francisco. It is the Aces' eighth straight trip to the semifinals, per ESPN, and they have won three of the last four titles.

Sources

• WNBA.com / AP Game 3 recap. Oct 1, 2026. Wilson 36 points, 11-of-18, 10 rebounds; Aces 94-83; series 2-1; Gray 23; Young 18; Clark 18 (11 in Q1, 7 rest); Mitchell 23; Boston 19/10; Talbot DNP leg, Loyd started 11; Aces led 67-55 then cold final 4:32 of third; Fever twice within 2 in fourth; second straight year Aces end Fever season; semis vs GS-DAL winner.
• ESPN / A'ja Wilson stars as Aces oust Fever. Michael Voepel, Oct 1, 2026. Wilson 36 and 10; Game 2 technical foul and no further league discipline; Wilson quote "I have my days. I have my moments because I'm human"; Hammon told Gray and Young to "be ready to run 40" and both played 40 minutes; Mitchell 3-pointer made it 82-80 with three minutes left, then a miss, a loose-ball foul and a failed Fever challenge; eighth straight semifinal; three of the last four titles.
• Bleacher Report box / Game 3. Oct 1, 2026. Wilson 36 (11/18), 10 reb, 1 ast, 2 blk, 37 min, +12, 12-of-15 FT; Young 18/8/7; Gray 23/4/5; Loyd 11; Clark 18 (6/18)/2/4 with 2 stl/4 blk; Mitchell 23 (7/23)/10; Boston 19/10; Hines-Allen 12/12. Mitchell 7-0 run to 82-80 at 3:00; Aces closed on a 12-3 run with 10 points at the line; Aces 28-of-35 FT; Gray and Young played all 40 minutes, Gray 11 in the fourth; Clark 3-of-12 from three and a game-high six turnovers; semifinals vs Golden State or Dallas start Sunday.
• ESPN scoreboard. Final Fever 83, Aces 94; LV wins series 2-1.
• The Dyme: Jackie Young's 21 and 10 Put the Aces Up 1-0. Sep 29, 2026.
• The Dyme: Caitlin Clark's 27 and 15 Force a Game 3. Sep 30, 2026.
• Photo: WNBA.com. Official A'ja Wilson headshot, Las Vegas Aces.