Seattle Storm at Las Vegas Aces
· First Round - Game 1
A'ja Wilson scores 21 after snagging third MVP award, helps Aces beat Storm 78-67 in playoff opener
Wilson made just 1 of 8 shots as Las Vegas missed 16 of 18 altogether and fell behind 18-9 after one quarter. She had four points at halftime and Seattle led 42-38 after Jordan Horston and Mercedes Russell both made two free throws in the final 43 seconds.
But the third quarter was a different story as Wilson sank seven shots with a 3-pointer, accounting for 15 of the Aces' 26 points. Skylar Diggins-Smith had a three-point play in the final minute and the Storm took a 65-64 lead into the final period.
Kelsey Plum missed her first seven shots, but she had the first basket of the final quarter at the 7:04 mark to give Las Vegas the lead. Seattle missed its first seven shots, and back-to-back layups from Wilson and Tiffany Hayes pushed the Aces' lead to 70-65 with 4:49 left to play. Diggins-Smith hit two free throws for the Storm's first points to get them within three, but Chelsea Gray had two baskets in an 8-0 run to wrap up the victory. Seattle missed all 13 of its shots and turned the ball over six times in the final 10 minutes.
Hayes finished with 20 points and five steals off the bench for fourth-seeded Las Vegas. Gray had 16 points and seven assists. Jackie Young added 12 points and seven rebounds. Wilson had eight boards. She joined Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie and Lauren Jackson as the league’s only three-time MVPs.
Diggins-Smith led fifth-seeded Seattle with 16 points and eight assists. Gabby Williams finished with 14 points and eight rebounds, while Nneka Ogwumike had 13 points and 10 rebounds. Horston had 10 points off the bench.
Seattle beat Las Vegas by 13 the first time they met this season, but the Aces closed with three straight victories over the Storm — two by double digits.
Las Vegas will host Game 2 on Tuesday. Seattle would host Game 3 on Thursday, if necessary.
—-
This story has been corrected to show a possible Game 3 would be Thursday, not Wednesday.
Regular Season Series
LV wins series 3-1
Recent Plays
| 4th 0.0 |  |
End of Game | 67 - 78 |
| 4th 0.0 | |
End of the 4th Quarter | 67 - 78 |
| 4th 16.2 |  |
shot clock turnover | 67 - 78 |
| 4th 27.1 | |
Jackie Young offensive rebound | 67 - 78 |
| 4th 31.1 | |
Jackie Young misses driving layup | 67 - 78 |
Statistics
 SEA |
 LV |
|
|---|---|---|
| 25-68 | FG | 30-69 |
| 36.8 | Field Goal % | 43.5 |
| 4-16 | 3PT | 7-18 |
| 25.0 | Three Point % | 38.9 |
| 13-13 | FT | 11-11 |
| 100.0 | Free Throw % | 100.0 |
| 40 | Rebounds | 33 |
| 10 | Offensive Rebounds | 6 |
| 30 | Defensive Rebounds | 27 |
| 15 | Assists | 16 |
| 5 | Steals | 9 |
| 4 | Blocks | 7 |
| 13 | Turnovers | 8 |
| 1 | Team Turnovers | 1 |
| 14 | Total Turnovers | 9 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 1 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 1 |
| 1 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 12 | Points Conceded Off Turnovers | 10 |
| 11 | Fast Break Points | 11 |
| 30 | Points in Paint | 40 |
| 9 | Fouls | 11 |
| 11 | Largest Lead | 11 |
Game Information
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Attendance: 10,369 · Capacity:
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