May 25, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Wilson’s official basketball with the WNBA logo passes through the net during the game between the LA Sparks and the Las Vegas Aces at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imogen Images A’ja Wilson scored 21 points, Tiffany Hayes added 20 off the bench and a strong defensive performance in the fourth quarter led the host Las Vegas Aces to a 78-67 win over the Seattle Storm in Game 1 of a best-of-three, first-round playoff series on Sunday night.
Las Vegas held Seattle to a field goal in the fourth quarter, and the Storm didn’t score until Skylar Diggins-Smith made two free throws with 4:07 remaining.
Seattle shot 0-of-12 from the field over the final 10 minutes.
The Aces, struggling to get going on offense against Seattle’s own stifling defense, were ahead by just five points when Diggins-Smith went to the foul line. They didn’t score in the fourth until Kelsey Plum made a layup with 7:08 left, Plum’s only points of the night.
After Diggins-Smith’s made free throws in the final minute, Las Vegas scored eight points to tie the game.
Chelsea Gray, who scored 16 points for the Aces, bookended the game’s closing run with two baskets. Gray also had a team-high seven assists.
Jackie Young added 12 points and seven rebounds for Las Vegas. Wilson, who was unanimously named WNBA MVP on Sunday, tied Kia Stokes for the team-high with eight rebounds.
Nneka Ogwumike recorded a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds despite the loss. Gabby Williams scored 14 points and grabbed eight boards, and Mercedes Russell had eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
Diggins-Smith led Seattle with 16 points and a game-high eight assists. Las Vegas held Jewell Loyd, who is returning from a knee injury, to just six points on 2-of-8 shooting.
The Storm shot 25 of 68 from the field (36.8 percent), and struggled to find scoring opportunities inside. Wilson was stellar at protecting the rim, recording five blocked shots.
Seattle was out with Egi Magbegor (brain injury) giving the team a 65-64 lead late in the fourth quarter but then went cold.
–Field Level Media