Aces Beat Fever in OT; Finals Begin Friday

The Las Vegas Aces advanced to the WNBA Finals with a 107-98 overtime victory over the Indiana Fever in winner‑take‑all Game 5 — only the second deciding Game 5 in league history to go to OT. A'ja Wilson scored 35 and Jackie Young had 32, becoming the first duo in WNBA playoff history to each record a 30‑point game, while Chelsea Gray delivered key plays in overtime. Las Vegas will host the Phoenix Mercury in a best‑of‑seven Finals beginning Friday as the Aces chase a third championship in four years after a season turnaround that included a 16‑game winning streak to close the regular season. Indiana, hampered by season‑long injuries, lost Kelsey Mitchell to severe lower‑body cramping in the third quarter; she was transported to a local hospital, treated and released and is expected to make a full recovery. Aliyah Boston fouled out late in regulation, and all five Fever starters finished in double figures, underscoring the team's resilience.