The Indiana Fever and the Las Vegas Aces each produced thrilling victories in their winner-take-all Game 3 matchups on September 18, which means these two squads are slated to face each other in the WNBA Semifinals, which will start on September 21.
There is no shortage of fascinating storylines heading into this game. In fact, there are several instances of bad blood between a player on the Aces and a player on the Fever. For example, Fever guard Aerial Powers got into a bitter verbal spat with Aces superstar Jackie Young during a game in 2024, when Powers was playing for the Dream.
Fever guard Odyssey Sims and Aces guard Dana Evans have a long-standing beef with one another that has created several viral moments and social media exchanges. And one of the key catalysts to the Aces’ second-half success this season was owed to them trading for NaLyssa Smith, who spent the first three seasons of her WNBA career playing in Indiana, and was a polarizing (and often maligned) figure on the Fever in 2024.
Not to mention that this matchup will include two of the best coaches in women’s basketball, with Stephanie White and Becky Hammon. All of this is to say that the WNBA community has a whole lot to be excited about regarding this upcoming best-of-five series.
Becky Hammon Shares Reason For Excitement in Facing Indiana Fever
Hammon spoke with the media after her team’s 74-73 win over the Seattle Storm on Thursday. And at one point in the press conference, she was asked what excited her about facing the Fever.
“That they haven’t seen the real Aces yet,” Hammon responded, per an X post from @Sudharsan_ak.
She then added, “They caught us when we were in a [bit of] turmoil. On [July 3], they whooped us in one of those stretches. You know what, we’ll buckle in, hone in where we can, and take care of business… I’ve got to get our hard hats on and get these guys prepped and ready for what’s coming next.”
Hammon is referring to the fact that the Aces finished their 2025 regular season with 16 straight wins, none of which were against Indiana. They were a much different team in the second half of the season compared to the first half.
That being said, the Fever did win two out of three games against Hammon’s Aces this season, which should be a source of confidence among Stephanie White’s team.
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