Aces close regular season on high note, set date with Fever in Round 1

The Las Vegas Aces have identified their opening opponent in the WNBA playoffs: they will face Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever in the first round. Las Vegas secured the No. 3 seed after finishing the regular season, while Indiana slipped to No. 6 following an 86‑66 loss to the league‑leading Minnesota Lynx on Thursday and a Washington Mystics victory over the Chicago Sky. Indiana concluded the regular campaign with a 28‑16 record and won the season series against Las Vegas 2‑1, claiming both games played in Las Vegas. Kelsey Mitchell paced the Fever in scoring, averaging 25 points per game. Clark led the team in playmaking with 8.5 assists per contest, and Aliyah Boston topped the squad in rebounds at 8.1 per game. Las Vegas will host Game 1 on Sunday, Sept. 27, and, if required, Game 3 of the best‑of‑three series at Michelob Ultra Arena. The matchup was set after the Golden State Valkyries clinched the No. 2 seed with a 76‑72 win over the Los Angeles Sparks. The Aces closed the regular season on Thursday with a 100‑82 triumph over the Phoenix Mercury. A'ja Wilson delivered a team‑high 34 points, adding 10 rebounds and five assists for her 19th double‑double of the season. Her 16 made field goals moved her past Brittney Griner for 11th and Seimone Augustus for 10th on the league’s all‑time made field‑goals list. Jewell Loyd contributed 25 points, including five three‑pointers, and grabbed two rebounds, finishing second on the team in scoring. Chelsea Gray recorded her third double‑double of the year with 12 points and 10 assists, and also logged five steals to surpass Shannon Johnson on the NBA/WNBA all‑time steals list. With the victory over Mercury, Las Vegas ended the regular season at 31‑13, posting the second‑most road wins in the league at 16, behind only the Minnesota Lynx, who tallied 18.