INDIANAPOLIS — In a rare outing where Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson didn’t deliver her usual MVP-level scoring, she still made a significant impact.

The Aces defeated the Indiana Fever 84-72 on Friday, taking a 2-1 lead in their best-of-five semifinal series. One more win will send Las Vegas to the WNBA Finals for the third time in four years, following their championship victories in 2022 and 2023.

Las Vegas secured the win in Game 3 thanks to 25 points from Jackie Young, 15 from guard Chelsea Gray, and 16 from forward NaLyssa Smith. Guard Dana Evans also contributed 10 important points off the bench.

Despite Wilson scoring just 13 points on 6-of-20 shooting—her lowest playoff scoring output and well below her regular-season average of 23.4 points, which led the league—her defensive presence was crucial. Wilson and Smith combined to limit the Fever to 35.6% shooting overall (26 of 73). When either Wilson or Smith contested shots, Indiana shot just 4-of-22 (18%), with the Fever going 3-for-10 against Smith and only 1-for-12 against Wilson, who earned both the WNBA co-Defensive Player of the Year and her fourth MVP award this season.

Smith commented on Wilson’s offensive struggles, saying, “It just shows she’s human. With how she’s played all season, it’s easy to forget that. Everyone has off games. That’s when we need to step up and support her even more.”

She added, “We still feed off her energy. At halftime, I told her, ‘We won’t win this game without you.’ Even if her offense wasn’t where she wanted it, her defense was still strong. She’s still the key player we need on the court.”