Aliyah Boston will play as Fever open WNBA playoffs at Las Vegas

Indiana's All-Star center is available for Sunday's first-round opener against Las Vegas, but her minutes hinge on how her right lower leg responds.

Indiana Fever center Aliyah Boston will play in Sunday's playoff opener against the Las Vegas Aces. Coach Stephanie White said the three-time All-Star intends to suit up despite a right lower leg injury, but could not say how much court time she will get. White explained that the staff will handle it the way it has whenever the problem has bothered Boston this year, evaluating her near tip-off and shaping her workload from there.

Boston drew a questionable designation on Saturday's injury report because of the leg. White said the ailment arose during Thursday's closing game of the regular season against the Minnesota Lynx; Boston exited late in the second quarter of that game and never came back in.

Speaking with reporters Saturday ahead of practice, Boston said it feels as if she has already played 40 or more games this season and that she is managing the leg one day at a time. That she met with the media beforehand was a sign she took part in the session in some fashion.

The leg has already cost Boston time this year. An earlier bout with the same issue, which originated during Unrivaled, sidelined her for four games and ended two long runs: 127 consecutive appearances to open her WNBA career, plus a 275-game availability stretch that began in her college years at South Carolina.

Indiana will be shorthanded elsewhere. Forward Damiris Dantis (left knee) and guard Tyasha Harris (left lower leg) are both done for the season. Guard Caitlin Clark, carrying a back issue that left her probable, is active for the opener.

Boston arrives at the postseason averaging 16.1 points, 8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks. She shot 52.8% from the field and a personal-best 40.6% from three-point range, the product of offseason work on her outside shot.

Her matchup with Las Vegas forward A'ja Wilson, winner of the past four MVP awards, sits at the center of the best-of-three series. Wilson put up 23 points and 12.5 rebounds per game across two meetings with Indiana this season, but shot only 39.6% — far beneath her 52.7% season rate and her lowest figure against any opponent. The next lowest was 45% against the New York Liberty.

White praised Boston for not biting on shot fakes and forcing Wilson into contested attempts, pointing to the way she pairs physical play with mobility to complicate every look. Still, the coach described Wilson as the top player in the world and said containing her is a group task that starts with everyone knowing where she is once the ball reaches her hands.

The series gets underway Sunday, Sept. 27, at 4 p.m. EDT at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas. ABC has the broadcast.