Las Vegas Aces’ Chelsea Gray made headlines as two of her buzzer-beaters powered the Aces to an 86-84 win against the Fever. In fact, Gray got the final three-pointer that won the game off a turnover from Caitlin Clark. However, besides the crucial turnover and Clark missing a three-pointer that would’ve sealed the win for the Fever, another moment stood out.
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During a stoppage in play, cameras focused on Clark extending a hand to help up Las Vegas guard Jackie Young. However, that was when her former teammate, NaLyssa Smith, who landed in Vegas in 2025 via a midseason trade, tried to block off Clark, and the Fever guard immediately reacted.
A clip posted by Greg Dobies on Instagram showed Caitlin Clark pushing away NaLyssa Smith’s hand as she tried to block her, and then walking away, visibly frustrated. While WNBA officials have been criticized this season, they quickly moved in to make sure the incident didn’t escalate.
However, the tense interaction between the two former teammates may have been indicative of the type of pressure they were under. In their first two meetings this season ahead of the All-Star Game, the Indiana Fever got the better of the Las Vegas Aces.
In fact, in their second meeting last month, the Fever handed the defending champions their biggest loss so far at 109-75. And for a while it looked like this one would be the same before things turned highly competitive as the Aces clawed their way back into the game.
The Fever appeared locked to win late in regulation, holding a three-point lead after a stellar defensive showing from Aliyah Boston, who tallied 21 points and 12 rebounds. However, uncharacteristic late mistakes by Clark, who recorded 20 points, 8 assists, and 8 turnovers, coupled with missed free throws, left the door open for Las Vegas.
“Obviously just can’t happen. Those are free throws I usually make. Certainly frustrating. Obviously one of them gives us a two-possession lead, and I kind of cost my team there for sure. So that’s on me,” Caitlin Clark told reporters during the post-game press conference.
However, Fever head coach Stephanie White chose to take the positives from the heartbreaking loss.
“She’s disappointed in herself certainly, as I’m sure a lot of our players are, but we gotta use it as fuel, and she’s going to be better.”
Meanwhile, Aces veteran guard Chelsea Gray cemented her status as one of the most clutch players in WNBA history by draining back-to-back buzzer-beating triples. First, Gray made a game-tying three-pointer as regulation time expired.
Then, in the final seconds of the extra period, she walked it off with another buzzer-beating shot during a turnover over Indiana’s defense. With that shot, Gray also became the first player in league history to hit a game-tying buzzer-beater in regulation followed by a game-winner in overtime.
The win elevated the Aces to a 22-9 record and finally put them on the board against Indiana. Now the defending champions will hope to carry this momentum against the league-leading Minnesota Lynx on August 8.