Fever, Aces meet with momentum-building on their minds

It's not inaccurate to say the Indiana Fever remain a work in progress.

It's also not inaccurate to say that Indiana needs to figure it out sooner instead of later.

Hamstrung by injuries and inconsistency, the Fever try to get back over .500 Thursday night when they host the Las Vegas Aces.

Indiana (12-12) lost 98-84 Tuesday night at New York Tuesday, giving up 56 second-half points while coughing up a four-point halftime lead. Poor defense was again a factor as the Fever permitted the Liberty to hit 51.6 percent from the field, including 12 of 22 3-point attempts.

The Fever has had its entire roster healthy for just four games this year. It won't be whole for this one, either, as Caitlin Clark (groin) will miss her 12th game. This injury has cost Clark the previous two games and her All-Star Game appearance, too.

"These soft-tissue injuries sometimes nag until you can actually have time to really allow them to heal," said Indiana coach Stephanie White.

Las Vegas (12-11) also has fought unsuccessfully to find the consistency it exhibited the last three seasons. An 87-72 win Tuesday night over Atlanta was a step in the right direction as it allowed the Dream to hit only 38.5 percent from the field while forcing 19 turnovers -- and those turnovers led to 24 points.

Aces coach Becky Hammon has been critical of her team's defense, but felt they showed something in the win they haven't always displayed this year.

"I do think we sustained their punches and their runs better than we ever had with any other team," she said.

A'ja Wilson had her usual good game with 24 points and 12 rebounds while Dana Evans supplied a much-needed spark off the bench with 14 points. Wilson ranks second in the league in scoring (22.4 ppg) and rebounding (9.3 rpg) and first in blocks (2.4 bpg).

This will be the season's third meeting between the teams. Each has won at home, including the Fever's 81-54 rout of Las Vegas on July 3.

--Field Level Media