Season Preview

The stage is set for the league’s 30th season! 
Following a historic 2025 season highlighted by the Golden State Valkyries’ debut, A’ja Wilson’s KIA MVP run and the Las Vegas Aces’ third WNBA title in four years, Season 30 is set to tip off on Friday, May 8, 2026.  
With the 2026 WNBA Draft (tune in to ESPN on April 13 at 7:30 pm ET!) and the debut of two additional expansion teams on the horizon, the momentum is high. Check out some of the early storylines and key dates to look out for in the action-packed 2026 WNBA Schedule.  
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<h2>Season 30 Tips Off  </h2>
The WNBA enters its landmark 30th season with WNBA Tip-Off 2026 presented by CarMax on Friday, May 8, with a three-game slate. The action continues through the weekend with an additional three games on Saturday, May 9 and five games on Sunday, May 10, to kick off the 44-game regular season. 
Full weekend schedule: 
Friday, May 8 (3 games) 
<ul>
<li data-ccp-border-top="0px none " data-ccp-padding-top="0px" data-ccp-border-bottom="1px solid #000000" data-ccp-padding-bottom="1.3333333333333333px">7:30 pm ET: Connecticut Sun vs. New York Liberty </li>
<li data-ccp-border-top="0px none " data-ccp-padding-top="0px" data-ccp-border-bottom="1px solid #000000" data-ccp-padding-bottom="1.3333333333333333px">7:30 pm ET: Washington Mystics vs. Toronto Tempo </li>
<li data-ccp-border-top="0px none " data-ccp-padding-top="0px" data-ccp-border-bottom="1px solid #000000" data-ccp-padding-bottom="1.3333333333333333px">10 pm ET: Golden State Valkyries vs. Seattle Storm </li>
</ul>
Saturday, May 9 (3 games) 
<ul>
<li data-ccp-border-top="0px none " data-ccp-padding-top="0px" data-ccp-border-bottom="1px solid #000000" data-ccp-padding-bottom="1.3333333333333333px">1 pm ET: Dallas Wings vs. Indiana Fever </li>
<li data-ccp-border-top="0px none " data-ccp-padding-top="0px" data-ccp-border-bottom="1px solid #000000" data-ccp-padding-bottom="1.3333333333333333px">3:30 pm ET: Phoenix Mercury vs. Las Vegas Aces </li>
<li data-ccp-border-top="0px none " data-ccp-padding-top="0px" data-ccp-border-bottom="1px solid #000000" data-ccp-padding-bottom="1.3333333333333333px">9 pm ET: Chicago Sky vs. Portland Fire </li>
</ul>
Sunday, May 10 (5 games) 
<ul>
<li data-ccp-border-top="0px none " data-ccp-padding-top="0px" data-ccp-border-bottom="1px solid #000000" data-ccp-padding-bottom="1.3333333333333333px">1 PM ET: Seattle Storm vs. Connecticut Sun </li>
<li data-ccp-border-top="0px none " data-ccp-padding-top="0px" data-ccp-border-bottom="1px solid #000000" data-ccp-padding-bottom="1.3333333333333333px">3 PM ET: New York Liberty vs. Washington Mystics </li>
<li data-ccp-border-top="0px none " data-ccp-padding-top="0px" data-ccp-border-bottom="1px solid #000000" data-ccp-padding-bottom="1.3333333333333333px">7 PM ET: Las Vegas Aces vs. Los Angeles Sparks </li>
<li data-ccp-border-top="0px none " data-ccp-padding-top="0px" data-ccp-border-bottom="1px solid #000000" data-ccp-padding-bottom="1.3333333333333333px">7 PM ET: Atlanta Dream vs. Minnesota Lynx </li>
<li data-ccp-border-top="0px none " data-ccp-padding-top="0px" data-ccp-border-bottom="1px solid #000000" data-ccp-padding-bottom="1.3333333333333333px">8:30 PM ET: Phoenix Mercury vs. Golden State Valkyries </li>
</ul>
Season 30 is also highlighted with a rematch of the league’s inaugural game in 1997, with the Los Angeles Sparks hosting the New York Liberty on Sunday, June 21, on the anniversary of the original matchup.
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<h2>The Home Debuts: Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo </h2>
The league is expanding to a 15-team field with the highly anticipated debut of the Toronto Tempo and the Portland Fire. Each team will make their home debut during the weekend of WNBA Tip-Off 2026 presented by CarMax. 
Toronto: Friday, May 8 at 7:30 pm ET vs. Washington Mystics 
Portland: Saturday, May 9 at 9 pm ET vs. Chicago Sky 
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<h2>Aces Begin Back-to-Back Campaign, Revenge for the Mercury </h2>
The 2025 WNBA Champion Las Vegas Aces will begin their campaign for another back-to-back title (previously taking home the chip in 2022 and 2023) with their first home game on Saturday, May 9, hosting a 2025 WNBA Finals rematch against the Phoenix Mercury. The teams will face-off four times this season: 
Las Vegas Aces vs. Phoenix Mercury matchups: 
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="3" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Saturday, May 9 at 3:30 pm ET (@ Las Vegas) </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="3" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1">Wednesday, June 17 at 10 pm ET (@ Phoenix) </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="3" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1">Saturday, July 11 at 4 pm ET (@ Las Vegas) </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="3" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="4" data-aria-level="1">Thursday, September 24 at 10 pm ET (@ Phoenix) </li>
</ul>
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<h2>Battle of the No. 1 Picks </h2>
2023 and 2024 No. 1 overall picks Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark are the Indiana Fever’s dynamic duo. Soon, the newest top selection in the 2026 WNBA Draft will join the Dallas Wings and team up with the 2025 No. 1 overall pick, Paige Bueckers. The rookie duos will match up three times, with the first game coming Saturday, May 9. 
Dallas Wings vs. Indiana Fever matchups: 
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Saturday, May 9 at 2 pm ET (@ Dallas) </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1">Friday, August 14 at 7:30 pm ET (@ Indiana) </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1">Thursday, August 20 at 8 pm ET (@ Dallas) </li>
</ul>
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<h2>Commissioner&#8217;s Cup Presented by Coinbase</h2>
The sixth annual WNBA Commissioner’s Cup presented by Coinbase in-season tournament will take place Monday, June 1 through Wednesday, June 17. The Dallas Wings will kick off the two-game slate on opening night hosting the inaugural cup champions, the Seattle Storm. Following cup play, the top teams from the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference will go head-to-head in the 2026 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Championship. Who will be crowned the next Cup champion? 
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<h2 data-ccp-border-bottom="1px solid #000000" data-ccp-padding-bottom="1.3333333333333333px">AT&amp;T WNBA All-Star 2026 takes Chicago<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;335572071&quot;:6,&quot;335572072&quot;:1,&quot;335572073&quot;:0,&quot;335572079&quot;:6,&quot;335572080&quot;:1,&quot;335572081&quot;:0,&quot;469789798&quot;:&quot;single&quot;,&quot;469789806&quot;:&quot;single&quot;}"> </h2>
The W is heading back to the Windy City! AT&amp;T WNBA All-Star 2026 will take place Friday, July 24 and Saturday, July 25, hosted by the Chicago Sky.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;335572071&quot;:6,&quot;335572072&quot;:1,&quot;335572073&quot;:0,&quot;335572079&quot;:6,&quot;335572080&quot;:1,&quot;335572081&quot;:0,&quot;469789798&quot;:&quot;single&quot;,&quot;469789806&quot;:&quot;single&quot;}"> 
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<h2>Additional Key Dates: </h2>
Monday, September 1 – Wednesday, September 16: FIBA break 
Thursday, September 24: Last day of regular season 
Stay tuned for more updates around WNBA Rivals Week presented by Ally, the 2026 WNBA Playoffs presented by Google Pixel and WNBA Finals dates!

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2026 WNBA Schedule Release: Key Dates and What to Know 

Awards

– Wilson and Collier Joined on First Team by Alyssa Thomas, Allisha Gray and Kelsey Mitchell – 
– Eight-Time All-WNBA Team Selection Nneka Ogwumike Leads Second Team, Which Also Features 
Jackie Young, Sabrina Ionescu, Aliyah Boston and Paige Bueckers – 
– Gray, Mitchell, Boston and Bueckers Make Their All-WNBA Team Debuts –
NEW YORK, Oct. 10, 2025 – Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson, the 2025 Kia WNBA Most Valuable Player and Kia WNBA Co-Defensive Player of the Year, and Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier have been unanimously selected to the 2025 All-WNBA First Team, the WNBA announced today.
Wilson and Collier, the runner-up for the 2025 Kia WNBA Most Valuable Player Award, were named to the All-WNBA First Team on all 72 ballots in voting by a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. Wilson earned a spot on the First Team for the fourth consecutive season and is an All-WNBA pick for the sifth time overall. Collier, a four-time All-WNBA Team selection, was voted to the First Team for the third straight season.
Joining Wilson and Collier (360 points each) on the 2025 All-WNBA First Team are Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas (358), Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray (341) and Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell (320).
This is the fourth All-WNBA Team selection for Thomas, who makes her third consecutive appearance on the First Team. Gray and Mitchell are All-WNBA Team selections for the first time.
The 2025 All-WNBA Second Team consists of Seattle Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike (185 points), Aces guard Jackie Young (148), Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (125), Fever center Aliyah Boston (112) and Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (112).
Ogwumike is an All-WNBA Team choice for the eighth time, Ionescu for the fourth time and Young for the second time. Boston makes her debut on the All-WNBA Team. Bueckers’ selection marks the second straight season a rookie was selected to the All-WNBA Team (Indiana’s Caitlin Clark was a First Team choice in 2024).
Voting for the All-WNBA Team was conducted at the conclusion of the regular season. Players were selected without regard to position and received five points for each First Team vote and three points for each Second Team vote.
2025 All-WNBA First Team 
A’ja Wilson, Aces: In her eighth WNBA season, Wilson earned a record fourth Kia WNBA MVP Award – her second consecutive MVP honor – and was a co-winner of the Kia WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award along with Minnesota’s Alanna Smith. The 6-4 Wilson averaged 23.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.3 blocked shots and 1.6 steals – all the second-best per-game marks of her career. She led the league in points per game for the second straight season and in blocks per game for the fifth time. Wilson also scored the most points (937) and had the highest efficiency rating (29.2) in the WNBA.
Napheesa Collier, Lynx: Collier, the runner-up to Wilson as the Kia WNBA MVP in 2024 and 2025, was the Kia WNBA Western Conference Player of the Month for May, June and July. She was selected to the WNBA All-Defensive Team for the fourth time. The 6-1 forward ranked second in the league in scoring with a career-high 22.9 points per game. In addition, Collier ranked 11th in rebounds per game (7.3) and third in steals per game (1.6). Behind Collier, the Lynx finished the regular season with the league’s best record (34-10).
Alyssa Thomas, Mercury: The 6-2 Thomas finished third in voting for the Kia WNBA MVP Award after setting a WNBA regular-season record with eight triple-doubles, extending her WNBA career-leading mark to 19. In addition, Thomas led the league in assists per game (9.2) and recorded a league record for total assists (357). She also finished third in the league in rebounds per game (8.8). Thomas was selected to the WNBA All-Defensive Team for the seventh time.
Allisha Gray, Dream: In her ninth WNBA season, Gray earned her third straight All-Star selection and was an All-Star starter for the first time. The 6-0 guard was named the Kia WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month for May, June and August and finished fourth in voting for the Kia WNBA MVP Award. Gray ranked seventh in the league in scoring with a career-high 18.4 points per game. She also set career highs in rebounds (5.3) and assists per game (3.5) and ranked sixth in the WNBA in three-point field goals made (98).
Kelsey Mitchell, Fever: Mitchell ranked third in the WNBA in scoring with a career-high 20.2 points per game and made a league-leading 111 three-point field goals. In her eighth WNBA season, Mitchell was an All-Star selection for the third consecutive season and finished fifth in the voting for the Kia WNBA MVP Award. The 6-0 guard also contributed 3.4 assists per game.
2025 All-WNBA Second Team 
Nneka Ogwumike, Storm: In her 14th WNBA season, Ogwumike started all 44 regular season games and earned her 10th All-Star selection. The 6-2 forward ranked ninth in the WNBA in points per game (18.3), 13th in rebounds per game (7.0) and 11th in field goal percentage (51.9). Ogwumike also became the sixth player in league history to reach 7,000 career points and the only one to do so while shooting at least 50 percent from the field.
Jackie Young, Aces: The No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft presented by State Farm and a two-time WNBA champion with Las Vegas, Young was an All-Star selection for the fourth season in a row. The 6-0 guard finished 12th in the league in scoring (16.5 points per game) and 11th in assists (5.1 apg), ranking second among Aces players in both categories while posting the second-best figure of her career in each.
Sabrina Ionescu, Liberty: The 5-11 guard ranked 10th in the WNBA in points per game (18.2) and sixth in assists per game (5.7). She also led the league in free throw percentage (93.3) and finished ninth in three-point field goals made (81). In addition, she contributed 4.9 rebounds and a career-high 1.3 steals per game. In her sixth WNBA season, Ionescu was selected as an All-Star for the fourth consecutive season.
Aliyah Boston, Fever: The unanimous 2023 Kia WNBA Rookie of the Year and an All-Star in all of her three WNBA seasons, Boston helped lead the Fever to a spot in the WNBA Semifinals and was named to the WNBA All-Defensive Second Team. The 6-5 center-forward averaged career highs of 15.0 points and 3.7 assists per game. She finished sixth among WNBA players in rebounds per game (8.2), fourth in total rebounds (361) and fifth in field goal percentage (53.8).
Paige Bueckers, Wings: The 2025 Kia WNBA Rookie of the Year led all rookies in total points (692), points per game (19.2), total assists (194) and assists per game (5.4). Among all players, Bueckers ranked fifth in scoring average, sixth in steals per game (1.6) and ninth in assists per game. The 6-0 guard, who was voted as a starter for the 2025 AT&amp;T WNBA All-Star Game, set a WNBA single-game scoring record for rookies with 44 points at the Los Angeles Sparks on Aug. 20.
In honor of their accomplishments, each member of the All-WNBA First Team will receive $10,300 and each member of the Second Team will receive $5,150.
Below are the voting results for the 2025 All-WNBA Team.
2025 ALL-WNBA FIRST TEAM 
<table style="border-collapse: collapse;width: 100%">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 25%">
Player, Team 
</td>
<td style="width: 25%">
1st Team Votes 
</td>
<td style="width: 25%">
2nd Team Votes 
</td>
<td style="width: 25%">
Total Points 
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 25%">
Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx
</td>
<td style="width: 25%">72</td>
<td style="width: 25%">0</td>
<td style="width: 25%">360</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 25%">
A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
</td>
<td style="width: 25%">72</td>
<td style="width: 25%">0</td>
<td style="width: 25%">360</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 25%">
Alyssa Thomas, Phoenix Mercury
</td>
<td style="width: 25%">71</td>
<td style="width: 25%">1</td>
<td style="width: 25%">358</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 25%">
Allisha Gray, Atlanta Dream
</td>
<td style="width: 25%">67</td>
<td style="width: 25%">2</td>
<td style="width: 25%">341</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 25%">
Kelsey Mitchell, Indiana Fever
</td>
<td style="width: 25%">58</td>
<td style="width: 25%">10</td>
<td style="width: 25%">320</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;
2025 ALL-WNBA SECOND TEAM
<table style="border-collapse: collapse;width: 100%;height: 176px">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 56px">
<td style="width: 25%;height: 56px">
Player, Team
</td>
<td style="width: 25%;height: 56px">1st Team Votes</td>
<td style="width: 25%;height: 56px">
2nd Team Votes 
</td>
<td style="width: 25%;height: 56px">Total Points</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 24px">
<td style="width: 25%;height: 24px">
Nneka Ogwumike, Seattle Storm
</td>
<td style="width: 25%;height: 24px">1</td>
<td style="width: 25%;height: 24px">60</td>
<td style="width: 25%;height: 24px">185</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 24px">
<td style="width: 25%;height: 24px">
Jackie Young, Las Vegas Aces
</td>
<td style="width: 25%;height: 24px">5</td>
<td style="width: 25%;height: 24px">41</td>
<td style="width: 25%;height: 24px">148</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 24px">
<td style="width: 25%;height: 24px">
Sabrina Ionescu, New York Liberty
</td>
<td style="width: 25%;height: 24px">1</td>
<td style="width: 25%;height: 24px">40</td>
<td style="width: 25%;height: 24px">125</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 24px">
<td style="width: 25%;height: 24px">
Aliyah Boston, Indiana Fever
</td>
<td style="width: 25%;height: 24px">2</td>
<td style="width: 25%;height: 24px">34</td>
<td style="width: 25%;height: 24px">112</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 24px">
<td style="width: 25%;height: 24px">
Paige Bueckers, Dallas Wings
</td>
<td style="width: 25%;height: 24px">2</td>
<td style="width: 25%;height: 24px">34</td>
<td style="width: 25%;height: 24px">
112
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Players were selected without regard for position. Players received five points for each First Team vote and three points for each Second Team vote.
# # #

2025-all-wnba-teams

A’ja Wilson and Napheesa Collier Unanimously Selected to 2025 All-WNBA First Team

AP Recap

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Fever, with about half their roster in street clothes, weren’t supposed to be this kind of challenge for the Aces.
And then when <a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/mitchell-fever-aces-injury-70d9e64f22798b0ca71944597d93ec7a" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA">Kelsey Mitchell left Game 5</a> on Tuesday night because of severe leg cramping, victory seemed assured for Las Vegas — only to have Indiana keep fighting back.
But the Aces, pushed to the brink for the second postseason series in a row, survived 107-98 in overtime to advance to the WNBA Finals for the third time in four years. A’ja Wilson, with 35 points, and Jackie Young, with 32, became the first teammates to score more than 30 points in a playoff game.
The second-seeded Aces, who won the league title in 2022 and 2023, will host the fourth-seeded Phoenix Mercury on Friday in the opener of the best-of-seven championship series.
Las Vegas went on a 16-game winning streak to end the regular season, but was pushed to the edge by Seattle in the first round and then Indiana.
“I think that streak we went on prepared us for moments like this, how to fight through the highs and lows of the game,” Wilson said. “It allows us to never take our foot off the gas.”
Indiana made Las Vegas work for it even though the sixth-seeded Fever have been decimated by injuries, with Mitchell added to that list that includes Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham. Coach Stephanie White somehow not only kept the team together, the Fever reached the doorstep of their first Finals appearance since 2015.
“They have been an absolute joy to coach,” White said. “It’s an incredible group of women, an incredibly connected group. They’re a great example to everybody to what it means to just put one foot in front of the other to persevere, to welcome people into the fold, to not give in to circumstance.”
Mitchell had scored a team-high 15 points at the time of her injury. Six Fever players reached double digits, including Odyssey Sims with 27 points and Natasha Howard with 16. Aliyah Boston finished with 11 points and 16 rebounds, but fouled out with 27 seconds left in regulation.
The Aces were closer to a three-woman show, with Wilson coming within three points of her playoff career high. Young, whose <a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/storm-aces-playoffs-score-5e8e1bc7bbe8868fc54d58086556e4d6" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA">putback basket</a> in the opening round against Seattle allowed Las Vegas to advance to this round, had a playoff career-high 10 assists.
Chelsea Gray — who briefly went into the locker room in early in the third quarter with an apparent right leg injury — scored 17 points, including eight in overtime.
Las Vegas needed every one of those points because the Fever challenged the Aces throughout, including after Mitchell got hurt. Rather than fade away and concede the playoff series to the home team, the Fever battled to tie the game at 84 on two Sims free throws with 52 seconds left.
After Young made two free throws with 27.1 seconds remaining, Sims answered with a drive down the lane for a layup with 22.5 seconds to go to again tie the game. Young missed a layup in the closing seconds and Jewell Loyd the follow to send the game to overtime.
The Aces then took the lead early in OT and didn’t give it up.
“They would just not go away,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said of the Fever. “The resiliency of (White’s) group. They went through a lot of adversity this year and for Steph to keep everybody onboard &#8230; I thought they did an unbelievable job all the way around. They just gas-pedaled the whole time, and it was tough for us.”

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2025-playoffs-aces-fever-game-5-recap

Game Recap: Indiana Fever vs. Las Vegas Aces (Semi-Finals, Game 5)

Semis Game Recap

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Game Recap: Fever vs. Aces (9/30/25)

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Aliyah Boston Posts 11 points & 16 rebounds vs. Las Vegas Aces

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Las Vegas Aces vs. Indiana Fever - Game Highlights

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — All-Star center Aliyah Boston finished with 24 points and 14 rebounds and <a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://x.com/i/status/1972410287933571333" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA">Kelsey Mitchell scored 25 points</a> to help the Indiana Fever avoid elimination in the WNBA semifinals with a 90-83 victory over the second-seeded Las Vegas Aces on Sunday.
The best-of-five series is now tied 2-2 with a winner-take-all Game 5 set for Tuesday in Las Vegas. The winner faces either top-seeded Minnesota or fourth-seeded Phoenix.
Sixth-seeded Indiana closed it out after Las Vegas mistakenly called an extra timeout with 30.1 seconds left in the game. The ensuing technical foul gave Indiana one free throw and possession of the ball, which forced Las Vegas to foul after the ball was inbounded. The Fever made all three free throws to extend the lead to 87-77.
“It was a good old-fashioned mistake,” Aces coach Becky Hammon explained after the game.
The television broadcast also showed Hammon telling her team in a late huddle they had two timeouts and a reset timeout remaining. She reiterated that point after the game.
The Fever used their “Stranger Things” uniforms, perhaps trying to send a message it wouldn’t let the high-powered Aces run roughshod over a team still missing four key, injured players — <a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/caitlin-clark-indiana-fever-05ca033f9a3c5f3aca656980871bb2e2" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA">Caitlin Clark</a>, <a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/indiana-fever-sophie-cunningham-injury-ac59327be1fb25e5464fd55347850315" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA">Sophie Cunningham</a>, Sydney Colson and Aari McDonald.
Boston and Mitchell then delivered it by leading the Fever to their third straight elimination-game victory in this year’s playoffs. They won the final two games <a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/fever-dream-score-6f4823e740c39c107689b3487377633a" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA">against Atlanta</a> after losing Game 1 in the best-of-three first-round series.
Boston went 10 of 13 at the free-throw line while Mitchell had four assists. Odyssey Sims had 18 points and made four key free throws to close it out. Lexie Hull added seven points, seven rebounds and four steals.
“It’s just being confident,” Boston said. “The fans were great, everyone showed out, and we were confident shooting the ball.”
The Aces were led, as usual, by four-time league MVP A’ja Wilson, who had 31 points after a poor shooting performance in Game 3. Wilson had her 17th career playoff 30-point game to move within one of the league record that is shared by Diana Taurasi and Breanna Stewart. She became the seventh player in league history to hit the 1,000-point mark in her playoff career with 1,024 and added nine rebounds, four steals, three blocks and three assists.
Jackie Young had 18 points and nine assists, and Chelsea Gray was the only other Las Vegas player to reach double figures. She had 12 points.
This time, though, the Fever played it differently.
“I think we were the aggressor,” Fever coach Stephanie White said. “And usually, when we’re the aggressive and move the ball, good things happen for us. We attacked. We played with a sense of urgency, we made the right reads and the right plays. The ball moved really well and we found the open player.”
It showed.
Indiana led nearly the entire first quarter and retook the lead for good when it closed the first half on an 11-2 spurt to take a 46-38 halftime lead. The Fever never trailed in the second half, but the Aces certainly made it difficult.
<div id="optimizelyHubpeekId" class="optimizelyHubpeekClass"></div>
<div class="FreeStar Advertisement" data-module="">
<div id="11e6468u234g" class="fs-feed-ad" data-freestar-ad="__336x280 __336x280" data-google-query-id="CIbp8-qW_Y8DFeygWgUdRk8Ppw">They forced a quick timeout after scoring the first five points of the third quarter and closed to 71-69 midway through the fourth. Boston and Sims answered that run with back-to-back baskets and Indiana managed to get enough loose balls and make enough free throws to send the series back to Las Vegas thanks, in part, to Hammon’s miscue.</div>
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Aliyah Boston

<div class="ewa-rteLine">No. 1 pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft. South Carolina in 2023 became one of three programs to have at least five selections in a single draft (Notre Dame 2019 and Tennessee 2008, 1999).</div>
<div class="ewa-rteLine">Finished her college career with South Carolina from 2019-23 as the program’s all-time leader in: Consecutive games started (138), Rebounds (1,493), Offensive rebounds (518), Offensive rebounds in SEC games (244), Defensive rebounds (975), Defensive rebounds in SEC games (485), Rebounds in SEC games (729), Blocked shots in SEC games (165), Double-doubles (82), Double-doubles in SEC games (42), Triple-doubles (2).</div>
<div class="ewa-rteLine">Four-time All-America recipient, four-time Lisa Leslie Center of the Year, four-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year, two-time National Player of the Year, two-time Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, two-time SEC Player of the Year and was also the 2022 NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player guiding the Gamecocks to a national championship.</div>
<div class="ewa-rteLine">As a part of USA Basketball, has earned four gold medals and was named MVP of the 2017 FIBA U16 Americas Cup</div>

The Indiana Fever exercised their option with Aliyah Boston.

Fouls out after giant effort

Double-doubles in Game 4 win

Posts double-double in Game 2

Powers way to double-double

Efficient in Game 2 victory

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