Aces draw Indiana in first round of WNBA playoffs

Familiar first-round opponent

The Fever earned more than passing familiarity with the Aces this season.

Indiana won the regular-season series 2-1, including both meetings in Las Vegas. The Fever won 84-68 on July 5, then returned a week later and beat the Aces 109-75 on July 12.

The first meeting came without A’ja Wilson, who was sidelined with an ankle injury. Indiana still made the most of the opportunity and handed Las Vegas one of its more lopsided home losses of the season.

Las Vegas finally answered Aug. 6 in Indianapolis, and it took overtime to do it.

Chelsea Gray hit a late 3-pointer to force the extra period, then won the game at the buzzer as the Aces escaped with an 86-84 victory. Wilson finished with 26 points and 13 rebounds, while Jackie Young had 22 points and nine assists.

That history gives the first-round series some weight before either team takes the floor.

Indiana has already won twice in Las Vegas. The Aces’ only victory came in one of their tightest finishes of the season.

Aces enter on a run

Las Vegas reaches the postseason in a much different rhythm than it carried into those July losses.

The Aces won their final seven regular-season games, closing the stretch with a 100-82 victory at Phoenix. Wilson scored 34 points in the finale, while Jewell Loyd added a season-high 25.

The win also showed both sides of where Las Vegas stands.

The Aces opened with a 14-0 run and led by as many as 31. Phoenix then opened the third quarter on an 11-0 run and eventually trimmed the margin to 10 in the fourth.

Las Vegas responded and pulled away again.

That fit Hammon’s message before the game.

“We want to finish well,” Hammon said. “We don’t want to be limping across the finish line of the regular season.”

She also made clear that the Aces still see room for improvement.

“We’re certainly not a finished product,” Hammon said. “I still think there are areas we can improve on.”

The playoffs will test that immediately.

Home court belongs to Las Vegas

The first round uses a best-of-three, 1-1-1 format.

Las Vegas will host Game 1. Indiana will host Game 2, and the series would return to Las Vegas for Game 3 if necessary.

That makes the No. 3 seed valuable even after the Aces missed a chance to climb to second.

Golden State finished No. 2 and will face No. 7 Dallas. No. 1 Minnesota draws No. 8 New York, while No. 4 Atlanta meets No. 5 Washington.

The semifinals expand to best-of-five before the WNBA Finals move to a best-of-seven format.

For Las Vegas, those later rounds can wait.

The first task is a Fever team that already proved it can win on the Aces’ floor.

Las Vegas enters the series with seven straight wins and home-court advantage. Indiana enters knowing it won two of the three regular-season meetings.

The matchup is set.

The only remaining detail for Game 1 is the time.