Caitlin Clark and A'ja Wilson set for winner-take-all WNBA playoff Game 3 between Fever and Aces

Basketball is a team game, and it always irks me how the talking heads on the various networks make the NBA all about one player most of the time. But I'm guilty of that, and about to do the same thing when discussing betting on the WNBA playoffs. Thursday features a winner-take-all clash that has two of the game's best players taking the court when Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever visit A'ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces meet in a winner-take-all Game 3 in their first-round matchup. Trade sports at Kalshi with the best promo code CBSSPORTS55 and get a $55 bonus after $25 in trades:

Tipoff for Game 3 is 9 p.m. ET on the USA Network, and this one should have a lot of eyeballs on it with the lone WNBA playoff game of the day. Sure, it's opposite Thursday Night Football, but how nationally attractive is Steelers-Browns? Total Clark/Wilson points scored vs. total Steelers/Browns points would be a fun props special.

This is the second WNBA postseason of the 1-1-1 first-round format. The Fever and Aces each won their Game 3 matchups last year, Indiana doing so in Atlanta and Las Vegas at home against Seattle. Is there any doubt Clark is the WNBA's most popular player and Wilson is its best? Both have been fantastic in the series with Wilson priced at -220 for a double-double tonight and Clark at -105. Spend $5+ and get $150 in bonus bets instantly at DraftKings here:

Wilson is approaching Michael Jordan territory after winning an unprecedented third straight Associated Press regular season MVP award and fourth overall, breaking a tie with Breanna Stewart for most since it was first given by the AP in 2016. In the 102-85 home blowout of Indiana in Game 1, Wilson put up absurd numbers: 15-for-19 from the field for 38 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks. The Fever had no answers. Clark didn't have a good game, shooting 6-for-17 from the floor and finishing with a minus-18 rating.

But with their backs to the wall in Game 2 at home Tuesday, the Fever extended the series with a 99-89 victory and Clark dominated with 27 points and 15 assists, the first 25/15 game in league history and both personal postseason career highs – the assists were a team record in the postseason and tied for third-most in league annals. She was responsible for 58 of her team's points, tied for the most by any player in WNBA playoff history. Clark also became the first player with a points-assists double-double in the first half of a playoff game.

Clark had help from Kelsey Mitchell (26 points) and Aliyah Boston (22 points). Indiana's Big 3 combined to score or assist on 89 points, which is the same point total the Aces finished with. Boston, Clark and Mitchell became the first trio in franchise history to each score at least 20 points in a playoff game. The Fever dominated inside by outscoring Las Vegas 58-26 in the paint. In Game 1, the Fever had only a two-point edge there. So that's a live number worth monitoring. Bet WNBA games at BetMGM Sportsbook, where new users can get up to $1,500 in bonus bets when they use the promo code CBSSPORTS:

Fever vs. Aces same-game parlay

Aces money line

Kelsey Mitchell 20+ points

FanDuel SGP price: +107

Wilson had a good if not great Game 2 with Indiana turning up the intensity and double-teaming more in snapping the Aces' eight-game winning streak. She finished with 22 points on 5-for-11 from the field and nine rebounds. Las Vegas was outscored by 16 with her on the court, and a frustrated Wilson got a tech in the fourth due to a confrontation with a fan.

Jackie Young added 31 points in the Game 2 loss, but the rest of the team was invisible for the most part. This series hasn't been hard to figure out as each team's Big 3 dominated in a double-digit home victory. The Aces' trio of Wilson, Young and Chelsea Gray had 73 points in the opener compared to 63 in Game 2, while the Fever's group of Clark, Mitchell and Boston combined for 75 in Game 2 after 45 in the opener.

This has been a really chippy series but then again, it has been a really chippy season in the WNBA. Will the referees let them play tonight? In winner-take-all games, that is usually the case. Both clubs have lost their cool on the road so far in the series.

"I think they're really going to let us play in Game 3," Clark said to the media on Wednesday. "It's going to be physical. They're going to swallow the whistle a little bit. So we have to come in with that mentality and play aggressive and play smart, but expect not to get a call. Just play through it and make the basket or keep your hands out."

The winner of the Fever-Aces series plays the winner of the Valkyries-Wings series. You may remember these teams played a winner-take-all Game 5 in Las Vegas in the 2025 semifinal round. The Aces won 107-98 in overtime, but Clark was long done for the season due to injury. Wilson was terrific with 35 points, eight rebounds and four blocks.

If you're interested in parlay betting, I've put together a same-game parlay for Thursday's matchup between the Fever and Aces that can be crafted at the top sports betting apps. Use the latest FanDuel promo code to get up to $250 in bonus bets when you wager $5+ for five days:

Indiana did win both 2026 regular season meetings in Las Vegas before dropping Game 1 there. The Fever are 4-5 ATS as road dogs this season, including the playoff opener. There will be conspiracy theorists saying the league wants Clark and the Fever to advance. But I'll always take a league MVP at home in a winner-take-all if everything is equal, and the defending champion Aces have been in this position many times.