Seattle Storm at Las Vegas Aces
· Women's National Basketball AssociationAll-Star Chelsea Gray returns to Aces, Jackie Young scores 32 to help stop Storm 94-83
Gray, a five-time All-Star and 2020 Olympic gold-medal winner who will head to the Paris Games next month, had seven assists, four rebounds and two blocks with one point in 15:30 minutes. Gray missed the first dozen games of the season with a left foot injury, plus the clincher last year when Las Vegas beat the Liberty for its second-straight championship.
“Man, I missed this game so much. Never taking it for granted,” Gray said. “It’s a long journey, lots of crying, lots of sleepless nights, a lot of conversations. I’m so thankful to be back on this court.”
Kelsey Plum scored 11 points for Las Vegas (7-6), which led by double figures from the 1:53 mark of the first quarter and by as many as 20 points. Tiffany Hayes had 10 points, and Alysha Clark added 10 off the bench.
Young missed her career-high by two points and Wilson had 16 in the fourth quarter, giving her 20 straight games with at least 20 points. The Aces shot 56% (35 of 63) for the game with 25 assists on the 35 baskets.
Nneka Ogwumike had 21 points for the Storm (9-6). Ezi Magbegor had 19 with 13 rebounds, Jordan Horston added 18 and Skylar Diggins-Smith had 10.
Seattle's Jewell Loyd, who led the league in scoring last season at more than 24 points a game and came in averaging just less than 20, missed nine shots and was held to a single point, ending a streak of 55 games in double figures. Loyd scored one point in a loss to Las Vegas on Aug. 7, 2022.
Gray entered the game to a standing ovation with 1:41 to play in the first quarter and 20 seconds later picked up the 1,500th assist of her career when Clark hit a 3-pointer to make it 26-13.
“A lot of love from the fans,” said Gray, the ninth WNBA player to reach 1,500 assists. “They were amazing.”
It was 29-16 at the end of the quarter.
With Young pouring in 19 points, the Aces led 47-32 at the half. Ogwumike had 12 points for the Storm, who had 10 turnovers and shot 41%.
The Aces led 59-40 in the third quarter when Plum hit a 3-pointer and followed with a layup. Wilson's layup made it 61-42. Ogwumike had a 3-pointer and Magbegor converted a 3-point play inside the final two minutes and the Storm closed within 66-54 entering the fourth quarter.
The lead was at 20 when Plum fed Wilson for a layup with 4:21 to go. Seattle had a surge to get it back to 11 with 2 1/2 minutes to play but got no closer.
Regular Season Series
LV wins series 3-1
Recent Plays
4th 0.0 | End of Game | 83 - 94 | |
4th 0.0 | End of the 4th Quarter | 83 - 94 | |
4th 7.0 | Jordan Horston defensive rebound | 83 - 94 | |
4th 10.1 | Megan Gustafson misses 24-foot three point jumper | 83 - 94 | |
4th 17.0 | Tiffany Hayes defensive rebound | 83 - 94 |
Statistics
SEA | LV | |
---|---|---|
31-70 | FG | 35-63 |
44.3 | Field Goal % | 55.6 |
4-16 | 3PT | 8-20 |
25.0 | Three Point % | 40.0 |
17-19 | FT | 16-21 |
89.5 | Free Throw % | 76.2 |
32 | Rebounds | 29 |
7 | Offensive Rebounds | 3 |
25 | Defensive Rebounds | 26 |
21 | Assists | 25 |
11 | Steals | 11 |
1 | Blocks | 4 |
15 | Turnovers | 14 |
0 | Team Turnovers | 1 |
15 | Total Turnovers | 15 |
2 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
2 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
14 | Points Conceded Off Turnovers | 20 |
12 | Fast Break Points | 15 |
46 | Points in Paint | 50 |
16 | Fouls | 19 |
2 | Largest Lead | 20 |
WNBA News
A'ja Wilson thanks teammates after MVP surprise
A'ja Wilson thanks her teammates after getting surprised with the news that she is the 2024 WNBA MVP.
A'ja Wilson's WNBA accomplishments and basketball honors
Here's a look at some of WNBA star A'ja Wilson's career accomplishments and honors.
WNBA MVP winners list: Wilson, Stewart, Parker, Leslie, more
The annual WNBA MVP award has been given to an all-star selection of players since 1997. Check out the list of winners now.
Aces' A'ja Wilson becomes second unanimous MVP in WNBA history
Aces star A'ja Wilson claimed her third career WNBA MVP Award and joined Cynthia Cooper as the only unanimous winners of the honor in league history.
Is A'ja Wilson's MVP season the WNBA's greatest ever?
A'ja Wilson has won her third MVP award, this time unanimously. Where does her performance stand among all MVP seasons in WNBA history? We rank the top 10.