The Las Vegas Aces hosted the Seattle Storm in the first round of the WNBA playoffs. The last time these two teams met in the postseason was the semifinals in 2022, where the Aces won the series 3-1.
After missing the playoffs last season, Seattle is back along with some new faces. Nneka Ogwumike made her return to the postseason for the first time since 2019 when she was with the Sparks. Skylar Diggins-Smith also made her postseason return for the first time since 2021 when she was with the Mercury.
The Storm was without Ezi Magbegor, who was out due to a concussion. This also kept her out the last two games of the regular season. On the bright side, Jewell Loyd was back after missing the last two regular season games due to knee soreness. With Magbegor out, Mercedes Russell got the start.
Game Recap
Chelsea Gray started the game with a three to get the crowd going. The Storm responded with a 9-0 run to lead by six. It was a sloppy start for both teams, but even sloppier for the Aces. Aces only made one more field goal after the three pointer by Gray.
That field goal came at the 4:42, which was made by A'ja Wilson after missing her first six shots. Seattle not only did a good job keeping Wilson from getting to her spots, but they kept the Aces off the glass. They outrebounded Las Vegas 21-10 in the first quarter.
The Storm shot under 40% from the field, but their defense made up for the stagnant offense. Tiffany Hayes came into the game and immediately provided a scoring boost. She scored the first five points in the second quarter for the Aces, which led to a 16-4 run to retake the lead.
Not only were the shots falling, but the defense picked up as well. But like the players and coaches say: it is a game of runs. Seattle answered with a 9-3 run to retake the lead. Jordan Hortson came off the bench and wasted no time making her presence known. She scored 8 points on 100 FG% all in the quarter.
Another thing that the Storm did was crash the glass for second chance opportunities. They had nine second chance points off seven offensive rebounds. The Aces could not keep them off the glass. Nneka Ogwumike led all scorers with 13 points, while Hayes and Clark combined for 19 points.
The third quarter was very competitive as both teams took turns hitting shots. Gabby Williams scored nine points in the quarter, and the Aces could not keep the Storm off the offensive glass. But after a slow start, the MVP arrived. Wilson scored 15 points in the fourth quarter as she willed her team back into the game.
The fourth quarter was crazy on both sides. Both teams missed nine shots combined. The first points of the fourth quarter came at the 7:08 mark, and it was by Kelsey Plum. From there, the Aces took over and never looked back.
The Storm only scored two points in the quarter, which came from the free throw line. They went 0/12 from the field and committed six turnovers. Las Vegas pulled out the win 78-67 and took a 1-0 series lead.
A'ja Wilson led the Aces with 21 points, eight rebounds, and five blocks. Prior to the game, she was named the unanimous 2024 WNBA MVP. After a historic season, it was no shock that she won the award.
Tiffany Hayes finished with 20 points, four rebounds and five steals. Chelsea Gray finished with 16 points and seven assists. Jackie Young finished with 12 points and seven rebounds.
Skylar Diggins-Smith led the Storm with 16 points, eight assists and two blocks. Gabby Williams finished with 14 points and eight rebounds. Nneka Ogwumike finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Jordan Horston finished with 10 points on 75 FG%.
Game 2 will take place on Tuesday, September 23. The game will air on ESPN and start at 9:30 p.m. EST.
If Las Vegas wins, they will take on the winner of the Dream-Liberty series in the semifinals. If Seattle ties the series, Game 3 will take place on Thursday, September 26 in Seattle.
Photo Courtesy: @LVAces/X
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