After receiving a perfectly placed pass from Aces teammate Dana Evans on a pick and roll, A’ja Wilson briefly hesitated under the basket and braced for the impact of Indiana Fever center Aliyah Boston’s defense before going up for a layup.

Wilson clenched her fists once she saw the ball fall through the net. It wasn’t her normal show of celebration after a tough basket — but relief that an easy one went in.

The Fever led by nine points with less than three minutes remaining in the first quarter of Sunday’s WNBA semifinals series opener at Michelob Ultra Arena, and Wilson had just scored her first field goal of the game after six misses.

On the same day that Wilson was named the WNBA’s MVP, making her the league’s first four-time winner, she would miss the most shots of her playoff caree

See Full Page