The Las Vegas Aces have built momentum over the past month. However, one opponent has interrupted that progress twice.
Indiana enters Thursday’s game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse with two wins over Las Vegas this season. The Fever won 84-68 on July 5, then routed the Aces 109-75 on July 12.
Both losses exposed similar problems. Las Vegas struggled from the arc, lost control after halftime and could not contain Kelsey Mitchell.
Mitchell now enters the third meeting as the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for July. A’ja Wilson earned the Western Conference honor after another dominant month.
Thursday offers Las Vegas a chance to show how much has changed since those two defeats.
July stars meet again
Mitchell averaged 27.2 points, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals during July. Indiana went 8-2 during the month.
Wilson averaged 28.3 points, 10.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks. Her scoring average led the league, while her rebounding ranked third.
The award was Wilson’s 16th Player of the Month honor, extending her WNBA record. She also received the award in May and June.
Both players added more recognition this week. Wilson earned Western Conference Player of the Week, while Caitlin Clark took the Eastern honor.
Indiana coach Stephanie White also earned Coach of the Month after guiding the Fever through their 8-2 July.
Mitchell has already shaped this season series. She scored 27 points in each win over Las Vegas.
In the first meeting, Mitchell made 10 of 12 free throws. One week later, she shot 8-for-16 and went 8-for-8 at the line.
She enters Thursday after scoring 37 points in Indiana’s 108-100 loss at Minnesota.
Fever offense stays hot
Indiana is 7-3 over its last 10 games and averaged 102.6 points during that stretch. The Fever reached 100 points in six of their last seven games.
Clark has helped drive that surge. She scored 45 points with 10 assists against Seattle, then posted 27 points and 11 assists against Connecticut.
She also recorded a triple-double in Indiana’s 112-98 win at Portland.
Meanwhile, Aliyah Boston gives the Fever a steady interior presence. She recorded 18 points and 10 rebounds in the July 5 victory.
Boston followed with 19 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, three steals and one block on July 12.
Indiana also received major perimeter production from Sophie Cunningham in the second meeting. She scored 20 points and made six 3-pointers.
That balance makes Indiana difficult to load up against. Las Vegas cannot focus only on Mitchell without creating room elsewhere.
Earlier losses offer warning
The first meeting remained close through halftime. Las Vegas trailed 42-41 before Indiana won the third quarter 26-14.
The Aces then scored only 13 points in the fourth.
Las Vegas shot 4-for-19 from 3 and committed 13 turnovers. Indiana made nine 3-pointers and won the rebounding battle 39-30.
Wilson missed that game. However, the same matchup problems remained when she returned one week later.
Indiana led from start to finish in the rematch. The Fever shot 56 percent from the field and 48 percent from the arc.
Las Vegas shot 39 percent overall and went 4-for-17 from 3. Wilson finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds but needed 23 shots.
Afterward, Wilson pointed to defensive communication as a central problem.
“When you lack communication, you kind of lose sight of the shooters,” Wilson said. “You lose sight of what’s going on in front of you.”
Dana Evans also identified the initial point-of-attack defense as a problem. Indiana’s penetration forced Las Vegas to overhelp and opened catch-and-shoot chances.
“If we can clamp down on our one-on-one defense better, then we can eliminate a lot of those,” Evans said.
The Aces made only eight total 3-pointers across the two losses. Indiana made 24.
Las Vegas also scored just 29 second-half points in the first meeting and 27 in the second.
Aces arrive with momentum
The Aces are 6-4 over their last 10 games. Still, they have won three of four since their July 22 loss at Washington.
Las Vegas beat Portland and New York at home before falling 84-83 at Chicago. The Aces responded with a 109-87 road win over Atlanta.
Jackie Young recorded 28 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in that victory. It was the first 25-point triple-double in franchise history.
Wilson has remained the offensive foundation. She scored 28 points against Portland, 33 against New York and 36 at Chicago.
Las Vegas is averaging 93.9 points over its last 10 games while shooting 50.9 percent. The Aces also average 22.3 assists during that span.
Their 12-4 road record gives them another reason for confidence. Indiana, however, is 11-5 at home.
Las Vegas enters at 21-9, tied with Golden State for the league’s second-best record. Indiana is 19-11 and tied with Atlanta.
Movement must return
Wilson offered the clearest offensive diagnosis after the July 12 loss.
She said Indiana pushed Las Vegas into too much one-on-one basketball. That took the Aces away from the movement and multiple actions that define their best offense.
“We helped their defense out by being stagnant,” Wilson said.
That issue will matter again Thursday. Indiana can crowd Wilson when the floor stops moving and passing options disappear.
Las Vegas needs quicker decisions from Chelsea Gray, more creation from Young and better spacing around Wilson. The Aces also must reach the later options in their offense instead of settling for difficult early-clock shots.
Defensively, the first priority remains the point of attack. Las Vegas must contain Mitchell without constantly pulling help away from Clark, Cunningham and Indiana’s other shooters.
The Aces have improved since July. Thursday will show whether that growth is enough to solve the team that has troubled them most.
Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. Pacific at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Las Vegas Aces, Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, Athletics, and UNLV baseball and softball. He has 24 years of journalism experience, is also a senior reporter at Exhibit City News, and previously covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. Follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.
