A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces were not going to get bad beat again in Sin City the Indiana Fever, as they hit back hard at Aliyah Boston and company on Wednesday. Determined to bounce back from their shock loss to the shorthanded Indiana, the Aces sent a powerful message in Game 2, coming away with a 90-68 victory. The Aces left no doubt who the better team was in that contest, with Wilson powering the home team.

The newly crowned 2025 WNBA Most Valuable Player reminded everyone why she got the award in the first place by torching the Fever for 25 points, nine rebounds wiuth five steals and two blocks, while shooting 10-for-18 from the floor. Wilson struggled in the series opener, where she bricked all her first six shot attempts from the field and shot just 6-for-22 overall, but in Game 2, none of Indiana’s tactics prevented her from willing Las Vegas to a series-tying win. 

“I think Game 2, we just decided to come to work,” Wilson said after the game, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). “When we do that and we play the right way, good things happen. I don’t necessarily think (Game 1) was a wake-up call. I told my team I was embarrassed less than the 53-point loss. No one panicked.”

Wilson has been doing it all for the Aces in the playoffs. She’s been leading all players in the postseason in points, steals and blocks, while shooting at a high clip of 49.0 percent from the field, and that’s factoring in her rare dud in Game 1.

NaLyssa Smith also put up a big performance for the Aces against her former team, with 18 points to her name on a 7-for-9 shooting, while Jackie Young produced 13 points. Dana Evans and Jewell Loyd both came off the bench and dropped 10 points each while finishing with a plus-11 and plus-22, respectively.

Wilson and the Aces entered the playoffs as the hottest team in the league, but they knew that postseason is a different beast that can’t be easily tamed. They learned that lesson again in their loss to the Seattle Storm in Game 2 of the first round and again in Game 1.

Now, the Aces will look to grab the series lead in Game 3 this coming Friday, when the action shifts to Indiana.