3 takeaways from the Aces’ win over the Indiana Fever

Las Vegas coach Bill Laimbeer wasn’t happy that his Aces had to hold on for dear life after they led by 14 with 4:21 remaining against Indiana on Tuesday.

But the Aces are happy they won’t have to play in the first round of the WNBA playoffs.

A’ja Wilson scored 22 points, tied a career high with 16 rebounds and blocked three shots, and the Aces clinched no worse than the No. 4 seed with a 92-86 win at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

“I think the first half we scored at will and didn’t play the greatest defense, but we had a big lead,” Laimbeer said. “Then we started to stand, and then we turned the ball over, didn’t get into anything and gave them life. You can’t do that. Fortunately, we won the game. Unfortunately, that’s a bad habit we’re going to kill tomorrow.”

Jackie Young had 17 points and seven assists for the Aces (15-4), who also got 15 points from Angel McCoughtry and 14 from Dearica Hamby.

Kelsey Mitchell scored 24 points to lead the Fever (5-15), which lost its eighth straight and was eliminated from playoff contention. Julie Allemand was 6-for-7 from 3-point range and had 19 points.

Bench comes up big again

The Aces are on pace to set a record for the most points per game from a bench unit in WNBA history, and that second unit was huge for them again.

Young, Hamby and Danielle Robinson combined to make the first 12 shots from the floor as the Aces built as much as a 20-point lead and finished 16-for-24 from the field as a group.

“We just have to come off the bench ready to play and being aggressive and getting defensive stops so we can pick up the pace and play a little faster once we do come in,” Young said. “When we get going in transition, we’re able to get easy buckets and play at the pace we want to play at.”

Wilson overcomes frustration

Wilson’s final numbers belie that it was a frustrating night at times for the Aces’ MVP candidate. She missed her first five shots and picked up a technical foul for voicing her opinion to the referees after not getting a couple calls late in the third quarter.

In the past, she might have let that frustration linger, but not this year. She scored seven points during a 15-3 run that gave the Aces a 14-point lead with 4:21 left while staying solid on the defensive end and continuously grabbing rebounds.

“She started very slowly and very frustrated, but when it had to happen, she was really determined,” Laimbeer said. “You saw the look on her face, you saw her energy level pick up. It picked up our whole team when we made that little spurt. That was all her, exemplified by the blocked shots and rebounds in crunch time and big baskets. That’s what she does. That’s what Most Valuable Players do.”

Rebounds and free throws

The Aces’ calling cards all season have been dominating on the boards and getting to the free-throw line with regularity to offset their lack of 3-point attempts.

They won the rebounding battle 42-28 and shot 26-for-32 on free throws to 8-for-8 for the Fever.

Up next

The Aces can clinch no worse than the No. 3 seed with a win over the Minnesota Lynx, a game that tips at 5 p.m. Thursday.

Contact Jason Orts at jorts@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2936. Follow @SportsWithOrts on Twitter.