Updated

Updated · Yahoo Sports · Aug 7

Chelsea Gray Hits 2 Buzzer-Beaters to Lift Aces 86-84, as Clark-Smith Clash Draws Focus

Updated

Updated · Yahoo Sports · Aug 7

Chelsea Gray Hits 2 Buzzer-Beaters to Lift Aces 86-84, as Clark-Smith Clash Draws Focus

Q: Did Chelsea Gray's historic buzzer-beaters win the game, or did Caitlin Clark's late-game mistakes hand the Aces their overtime victory?

Chelsea Gray won the game, but Caitlin Clark’s late mistakes created the opening. The decisive facts are clear: Gray hit the tying 3-pointer at the end of regulation and then the game-winner at the end of overtime, becoming the first player in WNBA history to make both shots in the same game. Those baskets directly produced the 86-84 Las Vegas victory, so the final result belongs primarily to Gray’s clutch shot-making. At the same time, Indiana had chances to finish the game earlier. Clark missed two free throws with seven seconds left in regulation while protecting a three-point lead, and she committed a late turnover in overtime after A’ja Wilson’s defensive stop. Clark also finished with eight turnovers overall, and Kelsey Mitchell missed a free throw in the closing seconds of regulation. Those errors mattered because they kept the margin within reach and gave Las Vegas final possessions. The broader game also shows this was not only about Clark. Indiana blew a 20-point first-half lead, Las Vegas got major production from Wilson and Jackie Young, and the Aces’ defense forced the final overtime mistake. Fever coach Stephanie White also pointed to loose-ball execution and late-game decisions, not just one player. So the fairest answer is that Clark and the Fever helped open the door, but Gray still had to walk through it. Plenty of players get those chances; very few make two historic buzzer-beaters under that pressure.

Q: What triggered the sudden on-court clash between Caitlin Clark and her former teammate during the Fever's heartbreaking overtime collapse?

It was triggered when NaLyssa Smith appeared to step between Caitlin Clark and Aces guard Jackie Young during a stoppage in play, prompting Clark to push Smith’s hand away. Video from the game showed the brief exchange happen off the ball in a tense moment of an already tight contest. Smith, a former Fever teammate of Clark’s, seemed to insert herself as Clark and Young were near each other, and Clark immediately reacted by brushing or pushing Smith’s hand aside. Officials and players stepped in quickly, and the confrontation ended without escalating. There is no evidence in the available reporting that it stemmed from a larger fight or any single hard foul immediately before it. The clash appeared to be a spur-of-the-moment reaction to Smith physically intervening in that small on-court interaction.

1 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · Aug 7

86-84 in overtime, Las Vegas beat Indiana after Chelsea Gray buried a tying 3 at the end of regulation and another 3 at the OT buzzer.
Caitlin Clark's late turnover set up the winner, and the Fever also let a three-point lead slip through missed free throws and other late mistakes.
A stoppage in play added tension when Clark shoved away former teammate NaLyssa Smith's hand after Smith tried to block her from helping up Jackie Young; officials stepped in quickly.
Clark finished with 20 points, 8 assists and 8 turnovers, then said the late mistakes were "on me," while coach Stephanie White said Indiana should use the loss as fuel.
Gray became the first WNBA player to hit a game-tying buzzer-beater in regulation and a game-winner in overtime in the same game, pushing the Aces to 22-9.