Tag: WNBA Playoffs

Las Vegas Aces center A’Ja Wilson (22) congratulates guard Jewell Lloyd (24) after scoring a three pointer against the Seattle Storm in game 1 of the WNBA Playoffs at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas on Sun Sep 14, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Rich Perez

LAS VEGAS–The Las Vegas Aces (30-14) are on a roll. They finished the season winning 16 games in a row and brought that same energy into their first playoff game beating the Seattle Storm (23-21) 102-77.

The Aces were in charge of this game from start to finish. Seattle was helpless to slow them down trailing for the entire game. A’Ja Wilson had the game high with 29 points and seven rebounds. Jackie Young had 18 points and six rebounds.

The Storm will be more than thrilled to get back home to their fans and try to put this game behind them. Game Two promises to be a whole lot more of a challenge for Las Vegas but all bets are on the Aces to close out this round one series.

The Aces finished off the 2025 season winning 16 games in a row and they have procured the second seed in the WNBA playoffs. After a less than stellar start this season the Aces fought hard against the adversity they were facing.

They believed in their coach Becky Hammon, they believed in each other and they believed in themselves. Sunday night they took on the Storm in the first round of the WNBA playoffs at Michelob ULTRA Arena.

The only Ace out with injury is Kierstan Bell and earlier she was a game time decision but as the Aces got closer to tipoff it does now appear that she will be available to play.

The Aces picked up right where they left off when their season ended last Thursday night in Los Angeles beating the Sparks 103-75. The Aces went into game one of their first round matchup with the Storm. It has been a crazy ride and it is not even close to being over if these ladies have anything to say about it.

The Aces got right after it from the get-go. They quickly took the lead and mid-way through the fourth quarter had established a ten-point lead 17-7. The Aces were shooting lights out but their defense was even stronger than their offense blocking and forcing turnovers.

After the first ten minutes of play Las Vegas had taken a 22-12 lead. Seattle already had six turnovers conceding six points off those turnovers. The Aces were shooting at 60% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc.

The Storm were struggling shooting at 27% from the field and only 20% from long. Wilson was closing in on double digits with eight points going into the second quarter. Las Vegas led 22-12 to end the opening quarter.

The Storm settled down a bit in the second ten minutes of play cutting the Aces lead in half, trailing 22-17. The Aces pushed their lead back out to 29-17 with six minutes left in the half.. As the clock ran out on the first half, Young hit a three giving Las Vegas a 45-25 lead. The Aces had outscored Seattle 23-13 in the second quarter and would be looking to keep their foot on the pedal in the third quarter.

Wilson was the only player on the floor in double digits at halftime with 16 points. The Storm have the difficult task of trying to contain Wilson. In the first half Seattle couldn’t come up with any answers as to how to put the stops on Wilson.

The Storm had their work cut out for them in the second half. In the first half the Aces had completely dictated play and it would be up to the Storm to try and disrupt the Las Vegas flow.

Las Vegas continued to extend their lead and when the third quarter had come to an end they had taken a 76-52 lead outscoring the Storm 31-27 in the quarter. Wilson had the high score in the game through three quarters with 25 points, Young had 18 points, eight rebounds and off the bench Jewell Loyd had ten points.

Through three quarters, the Aces had hit 10 shots from beyond the arc. Las Vegas was one quarter away from winning their first playoff game in this best of three.

With 8:03 left in the game the Aces were flirting with a 30 point lead 83-54. The frustrated Storm were unable to slow down the diesel fueled onslaught from Las Vegas. The Aces had certainly given the sold-out crowd a whole lot to cheer about for the entire game.

At the four minute mark Wilson exited the court for the evening finishing with 29 points and 7 rebounds. She had been absolutely perfect. The Aces finished off the Storm 102-77. Las Vegas came away with 14 shots from beyond the arc shooting at nearly 50%. They had also shot at 50.7 from the field.

This game was a perfect blend of passing perfection, offensive excellence, exceptional defensive blocking and forcing turnovers, pretty decent ball protection and dictating the flow of the game from start to finish. Oh and by the way, winning their 17th game in a row.

The Aces will now travel to Seattle meeting the Storm for the second game in this series. Las Vegas will be looking for a win in game two and taking the series giving them a little more down time to rest and recuperate. Tipoff for game two is scheduled for Tuesday evening with tipoff at 6:30 PM.

Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson (22) drives on the Seattle Storm’s center Mercedes Russell (21) during WNBA Playoff game 2 at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas on Sun Sep 22, 2024 (Las Vegas Aces photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Las Vegas Aces (0-1) had a stagnant start in the opening game of their series with the Seattle Storm (1-0). The Storm had at one time led by 11 points but the Aces surged in the second quarter and blew the game wide open in the fourth quarter going on 14-2 run.

A’Ja Wilson only had four points in the first half and finished with 21 points. Kelsey Plum had an off night with only two points, but there is little doubt that she will turn that around. Tiffany Hayes was terrific off the bench with 20 points. The Aces took game one of the WNBA Playoffs defeating the Seattle Storm 78-67.

Game recap: The opening quarter did not go well for the Aces. The Storm limited them to 11% shooting. They could not buy a bucket. Seattle outscored them in the first quarter 18-9. At one time in the second quarter the Storm had an 11 point lead before the Aces began to turn the narrative.

At the half, the Storm had a 42-38 lead but Las Vegas had made this game manageable. The Storm kept A’ja Wilson completely contained. She only had four points in the first half. The Storm were also getting a lot of second chance shots with their offensive rebounding. The Aces had their work cut out for them in the second half of this game.

With 2:58 left in the third quarter Las Vegas took a 58-57 lead. This game had been tied a lot in the second half. As the clock wore down on the third quarter, the Aces had really settled into the game and would be looking for a productive fourth quarter. A’Ja Wilson had scored 15 points in the third quarter. Kelsey Plum was struggling from downtown, a shot she usually excels at going 0-6. She only had a shocking two points.

This game was going down to the wire with some excellent defensive effort from both teams. The Storms’ Jewell Loyd was having a quiet game with only six points very unlike her. With just under five minutes left in the game, the Aces showed signs of building some increased momentum, building a lead 70-65.

With no need to panic, the Aces now had a 14-2 run demonstrating a lot of patience. With 1:30 left, Las Vegas had established a 78-67 lead which would be the final. The Aces now take a 1-0 series lead into game two.

After a slow start in the first half of this game scoring only four points, A’Ja Wilson scored 15 points in the second half of the game and she had eight rebounds really coming alive in the third quarter. Tiffany Hayes was solid with 20 points and fpur rebounds off the bench.

Chelsea Gray spearheaded the comeback effort in the first half finishing with 16 points and a couple of rebounds. Jackie Young chipped in 12 points and seven rebounds. Kelsey Plum was strangely quiet with only two points scored in the game.

The Aces really put the stops on Jewell Loyd holding her to six points. The Storm’s Skylar Diggins-Smith had the high score for Seattle with 16 points and four rebounds. The Storm had it all going in the first quarter but just could not sustain their lead against the defending champions.

Game notes: It all began Sunday night for the Aces as they took on the Storm at Michelob ULTRA Arena as their quest for a three-peat got off to a good start in earnest. Three WNBA playoff games were played Sunday with the Liberty beating the Dream 83-69, the Sun really took it to the Fever 93-69 and the Lynx with a seven point win beat the Mercury 102-95.

The Aces are heavily favored but this is the playoffs and all bets are off, anything can happen. Las Vegas were challenged with the solid play of the Storm’s Jewell Loyd who scored six points in game one and Skylar Diggins-Smith led in scoring with 16 points. None of the Aces are listed on the injury list so they were at full strength and continue peaking the way they were as the regular season came to an end.

Tuesday night’s game two will again be played at Michelob ULTRA Arena. Now that the Aces have tested the waters in this year’s post-season there is little chance that they will come out in the next game the way they did Sunday night. Kelsey Plum will turn things around and A’Ja Wilson will overcome whatever the Storm throws at her. Tipoff for game two is scheduled for 6:30 PM.