The Las Vegas Aces forward, A'ja Wilson, contributed 36 points, out of which 12 came from free throws. Aliyah Boston of the Indiana Fever team received a foul at the end, making the margin 88-82.

With only 47 seconds left on the clock and the Indiana Fever down by four points, Wilson tripped while not having any contact made by her opponent. The foul called against Fever center Aliyah Boston sent Wilson to the line.

The account BrickCenter posted the clip on X, writing, "A'ja Whistle FELL ON HER OWN and the refs gave her free throws. INSANE whistle."

Wilson went down with about 50 seconds left, down by four, and Boston complained that she never fouled her. Wilson hit both free throws and gave the lead back to Boston at 88-82 after Indiana had narrowed it to 2.

But there was another call that the fans questioned as well. About six minutes into the third quarter, it seemed like Wilson's elbow made contact with Boston's mouth, but officials called Boston for a foul.

That statistic made their complaints valid, as the Aces had 35 free throws compared to 20 for the Fever, and the latter’s coach, Stephanie White, mentioned this point after the game, which was replied to by the Indiana Fever’s guard Caitlin Clark.

"Hmm, interesting," Clark said.

Fans of Indiana were very quick to link that video to an ongoing debate of the series refereeing process. The arguments revolved around Wilson’s free throws and the feeling that the Indiana Fever never got a fair whistle.

Fans Turn A'ja Wilson's Whistles Into a Rigged Series Debate

That's how she gets so many points every game," said a fan.

A'ja Wilson led her team to victory in the playoffs after scoring 36 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in her match against Indiana. In spite of Indiana's defensive tactics, Wilson played efficiently and had an accuracy of 11-of-18 field goals and 2-of-3 three-point shots.

Another said, "This series felt rigged," read another reaction.

White and Clark pointed out after the game that the 35-20 free-throw gap in Las Vegas' favour was the clearest evidence of how uneven the calls felt during the entire match.

A user commented, "Everyone knew the refs weren't letting the Fever win."

Indiana came within two points of taking the lead in the fourth quarter on two occasions, but each time a whistle went in favor of Wilson during the game's key moments.

"The whole game was like this," was another reaction.

Clark and Aces center Brianna Turner received technicals early in the game within the first three minutes, while White received one in the second quarter, highlighting just how physical and closely called the entire game was.

Another said, "Don't get close to her, it's an automatic foul."

The two controversial fouls for Boston involved tough defense against Wilson in the paint, the very way Boston kept Wilson in check, scoring only 22 points on 45.5 percent shooting in Game 2.

Wilson and the Aces advance as the unmistakable dominant team in the series despite Thursday's setbacks, while Clark and Indiana end the season without a playoff win.

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Written by

Utsav Gupta

Edited by

Utsav Gupta