Aces to open 2022 season with rematch of WNBA semifinals
The WNBA unveiled its schedule Thursday. The Aces will open the 2022 season on May 6 with a road game against the Phoenix Mercury in a rematch of the WNBA semifinals.
Their home opener is on May 8 against the Seattle Storm. They will play all their home games again at Michelob Ultra Arena.
The regular season, which was increased from 34 to 36 games, concludes on Aug. 14 with another home game against Seattle. Playoffs begin Aug. 17 and won’t run later than Sept. 21 because of the FIBA World Cup, which runs Sept. 23 to Oct. 3 in Sydney, Australia.
Additionally, the WNBA All-Star game is July 10 in a location yet to be determined. Las Vegas hosted the last two All-Star games, in 2019 and 2021. Both were played at Michelob Ultra Arena.
Other notable games for the Aces include June 21 and Aug. 11 home tilts against the defending WNBA champion Chicago Sky. They travel to Chicago to play May 28 and also host the Phoenix Mercury on May 17 and May 21.
The league increased its regular season from 34 to 36 games.
Their longest road trip features five games in 10 days. Their longest homestand feature four games in seven days. They play 11 of their first 17 games at home and close with three consecutive home games. They play 12 of 16 games on the road from June 27 to Aug. 7.
They don’t play any back-to-back games.
The Aces finished 24-8 last season to secure the WNBA’s No. 2 seed and an automatic bid into the WNBA semifinals. They lost to the Mercury in a thrilling five-game series after reaching the WNBA Finals in 2020.
The league did away with byes and single-elimination games by revamping its playoff formatting. The top eight teams — regardless of conference — will be seeded accordingly and play best-of-three quarterfinals, best-of-five semifinals and best-of-five finals to decide a champion.
Contact reporter Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.
Aces 2022 Schedule
May
6: at Phoenix, 7 p.m.
8: vs. Seattle, 3 p.m.
10: at Washington, 4 p.m.
13: at Atlanta, 4:30 p.m.
17: vs. Phoenix, 7 p.m.
19: vs. Minnesota, 7 p.m.
21: vs. Phoenix, Noon
23: vs. Los Angeles, 7 p.m.
28: at Chicago, Noon
31: vs. Connecticut, 6 p.m.
June
2: vs. Connecticut, 7 p.m.
5: vs. Dallas, 3 p.m.
11: at Los Angeles, 6 p.m.
15: at Dallas, 10 a.m.
19: vs. Minnesota, 3 p.m.
21: vs. Chicago, 7 p.m.
25: vs. Washington, 7 p.m.
27: at Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m.
29: at Seattle, 7 p.m.
July
1: at Minnesota, 5 p.m.
3: at Minnesota, 4 p.m.
6: vs. New York, 7 p.m.
12: at New York, 4 p.m.
14: at New York, 8 a.m.
17: at Connecticut, 10 a.m.
19: vs. Atlanta, 7 p.m.
21: vs. Indiana, 7 p.m.
23: vs. Los Angeles, 7 p.m.
29: at Indiana, 4 p.m.
31: at Indiana, Noon.
August
2: at Washington, 4 p.m.
4: at Dallas, 5 p.m.
7: at Seattle, noon
9: vs. Atlanta, 4 p.m.
11: vs. Chicago, 7 p.m.
14: vs. Seattle, 3 p.m.
