Fever, without Caitlin Clark, beat A'ja Wilson-less Aces 84-68

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Kelsey Mitchell scored 27 points, Aliyah Boston totaled 18 points and 10 rebounds and Indiana beat the Aces for the first time in Las Vegas 84-68 with a couple of All-Stars sidelined on Sunday night.

Las Vegas played without A'ja Wilson, the four-time league MVP who has missed three straight games with an ankle injury, and Indiana’s Caitlin Clark was held out for a third game as she recovers from a back injury. Both players were selected to start in the All-Star Game on July 25 in Chicago.

Wilson and Clark are both expected back soon. Aces coach Becky Hammon said before the game that had it been a playoff game Wilson most likely would have played. Clark has returned to practice this week.

Mitchell made 7 of 18 shots and 10 of 12 free throws for Indiana (12-8) and Boston posted her sixth double-double this season. Lexie Hull scored 10.

Jackie Young had 15 points for Las Vegas (15-6) in its lowest-scoring game of the season. Jewell Loyd scored 12, and Chelsea Gray contributed 10 points and six assists.

Las Vegas led 24-23 after one quarter and Indiana led 42-41 at halftime on Hull's jumper that just beat the buzzer.

Boston, Sophie Cunningham and Mitchell made three 3-pointers apiece and each of them sank one in a 9-2 third-quarter run for a 56-49 lead. Mitchell was fouled beyond the arc and made three free throws before adding a three-point play, and Raven Johnson followed with a layup to put the Fever up 64-51 with three minutes left.

Indiana led 68-55 after three quarters and maintained a double-digit lead in the fourth.

Indiana: At Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Las Vegas: At Portland on Thursday.

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell (0) drives against Las Vegas Aces forward Cheyenne Parker-Tyus (32) during the first half of an WNBA basketball game Sunday, July 5, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) reacts after making a basket against the Las Vegas Aces during the first half of an WNBA basketball game Sunday, July 5, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell, center, is fouled by Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young, left, as guard Jewell Loyd (24) looks on during the first half of an WNBA basketball game Sunday, July 5, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell (0) drives against Las Vegas Aces guard Chennedy Carter (23) during the first half of an WNBA basketball game Sunday, July 5, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

Two Tennessee National Guard members assigned to a crime-fighting patrol in Memphis fatally shot a man Sunday who turned toward the soldiers with a gun during a downtown pursuit, authorities said.

The Guard members are part of a federal task force in Memphis created by President Donald Trump, who last year sent troops and federal agents to Democrat-run cities that he described as overrun with crime. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, had deployed the Guard to support the effort.

Authorities said the soldiers in Memphis were responding with local police to reports of gunshots around 4 a.m. when they began pursuing an armed man fleeing on foot. The guardsmen opened fire after the man turned toward them with his weapon, according to the city's police department.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation identified the man as Tyrin Johnson, 20, and said it is investigating the circumstances of the shooting. No law enforcement officers were injured, the agency added.

Johnson died at the scene after two National Guard medical specialists attempted first aid, Guard spokesperson Lt. Col Darrin Haas said in a statement.

Johnson’s older cousin, Terracle Nelson, 46, said authorities told family members that he had been shot twice in the chest. Authorities on Sunday did not immediately respond to questions about the number of shots fired and TBI declined to comment on Nelson's account of the shooting.

Evaniel Johnson said his grandson had taken classes at Tennessee State University, was the father of a young child and was preparing to help lead the family construction business. He said his grandson was also passionate about making music.

He said he wanted to review findings from investigators and any video of the shooting before making judgment.

“I believed in him, and I know he still had so much life ahead of him,” Johnson said. “The heartbreaking reality is that he will never have the chance to enjoy what we were building together. That is a pain no grandparent should ever have to endure.”

Mayor Paul Young called the shooting an “unfortunate incident” and said he was waiting to see the results of the TBI investigation before commenting further, according to a statement provided by spokesperson Penelope Huston.

A search of online records in federal and state courts Sunday did not immediately show any cases related to Johnson. In Memphis and in Nashville, local court records showed he had a handful of minor traffic violations.

Federal troops have been patrolling the city since October over the objections of Young, a Democrat. The troops are part of the Memphis Safe Task Force, convened by Trump and comprised of federal and local agencies.

The task force has led to more than 10,000 arrests, the U.S. Marshals Service reported in June.

There have been at least four officer-involved shootings tied to the task force, according to TBI data. Two of those shootings occurred in May and did not involve National Guard members discharging their weapons. The TBI also tied the task force to an October shooting, but did not specify which law enforcement agencies were involved.

The TBI and the National Guard did not respond to questions about whether Sunday's shooting was the first instance troops had fired their weapons since they were deployed to the city.

For years, Memphis, whose population exceeds 600,000, has dealt with high violent crime, including assaults, carjackings and homicides. Both Democratic and Republican officials have noted decreases last year in some crime categories, preceding the deployment and paralleling trends across U.S. cities.

In April, the Tennessee Court of Appeals ruled that state and local Democratic officials lacked standing to block the deployment of federal troops in Memphis.

Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

FILE - Members from the National Guard working as part of the Memphis Safe Task Force conduct a community safety patrol at Tom Lee Park, Oct. 12, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)