Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever were no match for the offensive explosion from A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday. The Aces trumped the Fever 102-85 in Game 1 of the First Round of the playoffs, and Clark immediately knew how bad the Fever’s defense was and bluntly voiced her displeasure with their underperformance.
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In the post-game press conference, Clark was asked about the team’s defensive intensity and a particular pre-game conversation about making shots hard for the opposing team. Clark’s rating for their defense was blunt.
“An F,” said the Fever Guard (via Indiana Fever on YouTube).
The Aces blew out the Fever 102-85, completely dismantling their defensive scheme. The Aces closed the game shooting over 59% from the field and 47% from three-point range, with A’ja Wilson doing most of the damage. The four-time WNBA MVP scored 38 points on 15-for-19 shooting and grabbed 16 rebounds, all while playing stellar defense and logging two steals and four blocks.
Meanwhile, the Fever’s star backcourt struggled hard. Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell combined for 27 points but shot a horrid 10-for-33, while turning the ball over nine times between them. The turnovers hurt the Fever especially hard, with the Aces turning 16 Fever giveaways into 28 points.
Notably, before the game, it was announced that Clark and Mitchell had both been named to the All-AP First Team, alongside Wilson, Minnesota Lynx guard Olivia Miles, and New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart.
Clark made it clear during her postgame conference that she thought the Fever did not do much on the offensive end to offset the poor defensive effort.
“I thought our actions were sloppy,” Clark said. “I thought what we were running wasn’t great and nobody got an easier open look.”
The Fever’s best player tonight was center Aliyah Boston, who ended the game with 18 points and eight rebounds despite playing through a lower-leg injury that caused her to exit the Fever’s final regular-season game against the Lynx.
Fever head coach Stephanie White also recognized how poorly her team played, crediting the defending champion Aces for knowing how to step up when the moment calls for it.
“Give Vegas credit,” White said. “They’re defending champions for a reason. They understand the moment. They understand the playoffs require a different level of intensity and urgency, and they came with it.”
For now, the two teams head back to Indiana on Sep. 29 for Game 2 of the best-of-three series, with the Fever now having to win both games to advance into the second round.