LAS VEGAS, NV (August 11, 2018)—It is crunch time for the Las Vegas Aces with regards to the 2018 postseason, as they prepare to host Indiana this evening at Mandalay Bay Events Center beginning at 7:30 pm PT.

Dallas’ magic number is now two heading into the weekend, which means any combination of two Wings’ victories or Aces’ losses, will give Dallas the eight seed and the final spot in the WNBA Playoffs.

The Aces have four games remaining on their schedule—three at home, and one on the road. Two of those games are against teams ahead of them in the standings, including one against the Wings.

After starting the year by losing seven of their first eight games, the Aces won 11 of their next 17 to improve to 12-13. The team’s last win came on July 22, just before the All-Star Break. During that hot streak, Las Vegas improved on both sides of the basketball.

The Aces have struggled to get their groove back since returning from the All-Star Break, specifically on the defensive end. Las Vegas has allowed three of its last four opponents to score over 100 points, The 109 points scored by the Sun and Dream during that stretch are the most the Aces have allowed in their 22-year franchise history.

Indiana is 5-25 on the season and in last place, however three of those wins have come over the team’s last seven games. The Fever are on a two-game losing streak, including a 94-74 loss to Phoenix last night.

Indiana is led by veteran Candace Dupree, who is averaging 13.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, and rookie Kelsey Mitchell, who chips in 13.1 points and 2.7 assists. The Fever traded for veteran guard Cappie Pondexter earlier in the season, and she is averaging 10.7 points per game since joining Indiana.

The Fever rank last in the league in points per game (75.3) and field goal percentage (.407). Indiana opponents are connecting on a WNBA-high 47.2 percent of their field goal attempts

The Aces and Fever have squared off against one another twice this season, with the last meeting coming back on July 22.  Natalie Achonwa and Candace Dupree both scored in double digits for Indiana, but a combined 40 points from rookie A’ja Wilson and veteran Kayla McBride and a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double from Carolyn Swords propelled the Aces to victory.