The LV Aces center, A’ja Wilson, just clinched her fourth WNBA MVP, and her second straight, in one of the tightest races ever. But even four-time MVPs have nights they’d rather forget, and Round 2 Game 1 against the Indiana Fever was exactly that for Wilson. As her head coach put it, “Even the greatest players have off nights where they miss.” Only this wasn’t just a miss; it was Boston’s doing!

When Indy faced the Aces, they knew the challenge ahead. The Aces were coming off a 2-1 series win against the Seattle Storm, with their captain scoring 38 points in the last game. White was ready for the task. “She brings a tremendous challenge night in and night out…Look, you just have to try to make things difficult [for Wilson],” she revealed after the game. And spot on!

Despite averaging 23.4 points per game, Wilson was held to just 16 points in 34 minutes today. Indy’s defensive effort clearly paid off, largely thanks to star center Aliyah Boston, who took the primary role in guarding Wilson. Boston dominated, limiting her to just 6-of-22 shooting from the field, simply by executing the strategy White had put in place.

As Boston herself admitted after the first quarter, when asked about her defense against Wilson, “Honestly, just trying to kind of be annoying a little bit, because A’ja is a pretty great player…So for me, just trying to make sure my presence is felt.” Of course, Wilson felt every bit of her presence as she was limited to just three points on 1-for-7 shooting in the first quarter.

By the end of the game, Wilson had missed 14 shots around the rim, including four inside the restricted area. Most of those attempts, however, came under heavy pressure from Aliyah Boston. Guarding Wilson on 35 possessions, Boston forced her into a mere 16.7% effective field goal rate.

As White highlighted in the postgame press conference, “Great players are gonna find ways to do what they do. You just have to try to make it as challenging as you possibly can. Make them earn it. Nothing easy, don’t bail them out, make her earn it. And then when they do, you live with it.”

The Fever managed to keep Wilson mostly in check despite being called for five fouls against her, allowing just five free throw attempts. That’s well below her postseason average of 10.7 per game. But the turning point came in the third quarter when Wilson picked up her fourth foul while contesting a Lexie Hull layup at the 3:21 mark. At that moment, the Aces were in the middle of a 10-0 run, cutting the deficit to just four points before Wilson had to leave the floor.

By the time the fourth quarter began, the Aces trailed 69-55, victims of a swift 12-2 surge by the Fever. Lynx HC was frustrated enough to say, “I know we’re capable (of winning this series), but not when we play like that,” Hammon said. “God forbid A’ja doesn’t drop 40 for us,” post-game.

Indiana eventually won 89-73, their first in Las Vegas in the last seven years. Ever since the franchise moved to Vegas, Indy hadn’t been able to win against them. According to StatMuse, the Aces are 15-10 against Indy in their home games all-time.

So, Indiana’s plan worked, as veteran reserve Brianna Turner had said, “We know she’s (Wilson) the MVP, the best player in the world at the moment, so we just tried to make all her buckets tough…We knew we weren’t going to stop her completely, but we wanted to make sure that it was tough and she had a hand in her face on every shot or was feeling contact. We didn’t want to give away any easy ones.”

But it was all thanks to Boston, who became annoying enough that Wilson missed her first 6 field goal attempts and scored her first points at 2:27.

Aliyah Boston’s steady rise challenged by Cheryl Reeve and Wilson

Indy has faced numerous setbacks this season, with injuries at the heart of everything. And, as White admitted, AB has been the most impacted by the depleted roster. She’s had to adapt constantly, shifting between positions as needed. Still, every time, she has delivered flawlessly.

“She’s really the rock of our team,” White gushed after the August 4 game, wherein Boston delivered her 16 points and 12 rebounds double-double, setting a new franchise record for six consecutive double-doubles. “She’s even-keeled, she’s high IQ. Everybody trusts her on both ends of the floor. And she’s our backbone.” And yes, it all makes sense as Boston is actively on pace to set a career high in PPG while making her presence felt with defensive strategies.

“She came into this league predominantly playing on the low block, getting a lot of post touches when she was in college and her rookie year…This year, we’re asking her to be a facilitator as well and a hub for us on the offensive end of the floor while being more versatile on the defensive end than she probably has ever been. And she’s just continued to step up to the challenge and grow and be better.” White added.

Well… things are, of course, a lot different when Caitlin Clark is on the floor. With CC, spacing happens almost automatically, defenses collapse as she crosses half court, and a deep three is usually on the way. But with Clark mostly sidelined by her four injuries, AB has had to take on new roles. Defensive versatility was just one part of it, as she also sharpened her vision and playmaking to create more open looks for the Fever.

But the upcoming game won’t be easy for the team. As Becky Hammon already warned, “I know we’re capable (of winning this series), but not when we play like that,…God forbid A’ja doesn’t drop 40 for us.” Certainly, the Aces are on the way to making a comeback against Indy. After all, they entered the playoffs with a 16-game winning streak. So right now, they’re just waiting for their captain to get 100% charged. What do you think? Will the underdogs again stun everyone, or will the Aces make a redemption?