Aces-Fever First-Round Series Headlines 2026 WNBA Playoff Openers
The short version
- Four 2026 WNBA playoff series, including Aces-Fever, tip off Sunday.
- The series features the league's top three regular-season scorers: A'ja Wilson, Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark.
- Mitchell averaged 24.7 points per game; Clark averaged 22.3.
- Las Vegas committed 12.0 turnovers per game; Indiana 13.3.
- The Aces have won three of the last four WNBA titles.
Las Vegas and Indiana meet Sunday in a quarterfinal series featuring the league's three leading scorers, per a Yahoo Sports preview.
The 2026 WNBA playoffs are set to begin within days, with four first-round series scheduled to start on Sunday. Among them, the quarterfinal between the Las Vegas Aces and the Indiana Fever has drawn particular attention as a potentially standout matchup of the postseason.
A Yahoo Sports preview, citing ClutchPoints, notes that both rosters are loaded with star power. Indiana counters A'ja Wilson and Jackie Young with Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell, while both clubs are described as having talented head coaches and deep benches.
The scoring stakes in the series are unusually high. The preview points out that the top three scorers in the league this regular season will all be on the floor in this matchup, with A'ja Wilson leading the way and Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark ranking second and third.
Mitchell averaged 24.7 points per game during the regular season, while Clark averaged 22.3. The preview suggests each team's duo could combine for at least 40 points in every game of the series, noting that both pairings averaged around 45 combined points per game in the regular season.
Turnovers could also shape the series. Indiana's fast-paced offense, driven in part by Clark's passing vision, will meet an adaptable Las Vegas defense. The Aces committed the third-fewest turnovers per game in the league at 12.0, while the Fever ranked in the middle of the pack at 13.3.
The series is a best-of-three, meaning each team holds home-court advantage for one game and a decisive Game 3 is a live possibility if the teams split. The preview notes the format's small sample size could swing any statistical outcome.
Las Vegas brings significant championship pedigree to the matchup. The Aces have won the WNBA Finals in three of the last four seasons, experience the preview cites as an advantage in a closely matched series.
Despite that résumé, the ClutchPoints forecast picks Indiana to advance, envisioning a Fever win sealed by a Caitlin Clark three-pointer at the buzzer in Game 3. The WNBA has officially released the 2026 playoff schedule, with first-round play opening Sunday.
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