ANALYST SAYS FEVER COULD BEAT ACES IN WNBA PLAYOFF MATCHUP

Broadcaster Robin Lundberg has argued the Indiana Fever hold a genuine chance of beating the Las Vegas Aces in their WNBA playoff series, despite Las Vegas being the defending champions chasing a fourth title in five years. Speaking in a breakdown posted on X, Lundberg said the Aces are a tougher opponent than the Atlanta Dream but pointed to the regular-season record between the two teams as evidence in the Fever's favour. He noted the Fever won two of their three meetings with the Aces this season, including a game they led by 20 points before losing in overtime. Lundberg also highlighted Aliyah Boston's individual matchup with four-time MVP A'Ja Wilson, saying Boston defends Wilson better than any other player in the league. He said the Aces are not well equipped to exploit the Fever's rebounding or perimeter defence.

The two franchises also met in last year's playoffs, when the Aces eliminated the Fever. Lundberg noted that series showed the Fever could compete even without Caitlin Clark and with an injured Kelsey Mitchell, winning Game 1 on the road 89-73 before losing a winner-take-all overtime game 107-98. In this year's regular season, the Fever won the first two meetings 84-68 and 109-75, with the Aces taking the third 86-84 in overtime. Both of the Fever's wins came on the road, a detail Lundberg said is significant given the format of the upcoming series. Boston averaged 19.3 points and 11.0 rebounds per game across the three regular-season matchups against the Aces.

The Fever and Aces are due to meet in the first round of the 2026 WNBA playoffs, which start on Sunday. Separately, WNBA analyst Rachel DeMita has made the case for Wilson to win league MVP ahead of the postseason. Lundberg said his assessment does not mean the Fever will win the series, but that they are capable of beating the Aces. Two of the three games in the series will be played away from the Fever's home arena, Gainbridge Fieldhouse.