INDIANAPOLIS — In a game defined by two stunning buzzer-beating three-pointers from Chelsea Gray, it was the misses that will haunt the Indiana Fever. Caitlin Clark took the blame after a brutal sequence of late-game errors cost her team a crucial victory, culminating in an 86-84 overtime loss to the defending champion Las Vegas Aces on Thursday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

The Fever appeared poised to ice the game in regulation. With seven seconds remaining and Indiana holding a 75-72 lead, Clark was sent to the free-throw line. Needing just one make to extend the lead to a virtually insurmountable two possessions, the sophomore star missed both attempts. The reprieve allowed Gray to drill a clutch three-pointer at the buzzer, sending the contest into overtime.

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"Obviously Just Can't Happen"

Clark did not mince words when addressing the critical lapse from the charity stripe. "Obviously just can't happen," Clark told reporters postgame. "And those are free throws I usually make, and [it's] certainly frustrating. Obviously one of them gives us a two-possession lead. Kind of cost my team there for sure, so that's on me."

The 22-year-old had a chance to redeem herself in the extra period, but the script repeated itself with even more devastating consequences. Leading 84-83 with roughly 15 seconds left in overtime, Clark isolated against Aces superstar A'ja Wilson. Wilson delivered a masterclass in perimeter defense, deflecting and stealing Clark's attempted pass to Makayla Timpson.

Gray Delivers the Final Dagger

The turnover set the stage for Gray's second heroics of the night. Pushing the pace on the outlet, Gray found herself hunted on the perimeter. Looking up at the clock, the veteran guard pulled up and buried another game-winning three-pointer as time expired, stunning the home crowd and securing the 86-84 victory for Las Vegas.

"First of all, A'ja had a great stop defensively," Gray explained of the sequence. "We always say it's going to come down to our defense. She got it to me on the outlet. I knew [coach Becky Hammon] wasn't going to call a timeout. So I hit it to Jackie [Young] and could go score the basketball. But she hunted me on the 3-point line, [I] looked up at the clock again, knocked it down."

Wilson paced the Aces with a dominant 26-point, 16-rebound double-double, while Clark finished with 20 points but struggled with her efficiency, shooting just 7-for-20 from the field and committing eight turnovers. The heartbreaking defeat serves as a harsh lesson in late-game execution for Indiana as they navigate a grueling stretch of the WNBA season. As originally reported by the New York Post, Clark's willingness to shoulder the burden proves her competitive fire remains undimmed, even when the final buzzer sounds on a brutal night.