There were plenty of areas identified by the Indiana Fever that need quick fixes after the Las Vegas Aces finished off a resounding victory in the opening game of a first-round WNBA playoff series between the teams.
"In a series, you have to flush it regardless," Fever center Aliyah Boston said. "We have another chance at home and we just have to be ready to go and that's our focus right now."
The playoffs have only just begun and yet the Fever already face elimination at home Tuesday in Indianapolis in the second game of the best-of-three series.
The defending champion Aces, who are the No. 3 seed in the current playoffs, finished off their 102-85 home victory in Game 1 after A'ja Wilson scored 38 points with 16 rebounds. Wilson was 15 of 19 from the floor and drained both of her 3-point attempts.
"She's ready to go," Aces coach Becky Hammon said. "The demands we put on her throughout the regular season are high. She understands the stakes, always."
The Aces shot 59.4% from the floor in the opener and had a 31-24 rebounding advantage.
{{/usCountry}}The Aces shot 59.4% from the floor in the opener and had a 31-24 rebounding advantage.
{{/usCountry}}"They understand the moment," Indiana coach Stephanie White said of Las Vegas. "They understand that playoffs require a different version, a different level of intensity and urgency, and they came with it."
The Aces' 28 points off 17 Fever turnovers were a troublesome reality to process for White.
"We didn't do our job," White said. "There's no defense for 28 points off turnovers."
Both teams committed 17 turnovers, but the miscues had a bigger impact on the Fever's overall strategy.
"We want to play in transition," Indiana star guard Caitlin Clark said. "Obviously, when they score 102 points, it's hard for us to get that part of it going."
The Fever averaged a league-best 96.0 points during the regular season and went 15-7 at home, where they will be for Game 2.
"We know it's going to be loud in Indy," Hammon said.
Jackie Young added 21 points with 10 assists for the Aces in Game 1. Indiana had five players who scored in double figures, led by Boston with 18 points. Clark had 15 points and 10 assists while going 3 of 10 from 3-point range. She averaged 22.3 points in the regular season.
"For us, we felt the difference in the intensity level," White said. "Sometimes it's how you execute. ... It's mostly in the details because I thought our team competed."
The Fever will be intent on reversing trends that became problems in the first game.
"We made it hard on ourselves," Clark said. "I thought our actions were sloppy. ... Got to just keep shooting at this time of the year, it is what it is."
Indiana was limited to 38 second-half points Sunday, with Las Vegas aware that scoring will likely come much easier for the Fever at home.
"You're not going to take everything away," Hammon said. "They are tough-shot takers and makers. We just want to make it as tough as possible.
"... For the most part, we did a decent job of defending the 3-point shots. You can't take away everything. It's a very talented team."
Field Level Media
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