Playoff series breakdown: How the Aces and Storm match up

Aces coach Becky Hammon expects nothing but a dogfight, a fitting start to another title defense.

The Aces, the No. 4 seed in the WNBA playoffs, will begin a chase for a third straight championship against the Seattle Storm in a best-of-three series starting Sunday at Michelob Ultra Arena.

It’s the third time in five seasons the Aces will meet the Storm in the playoffs, but the first time in the first round. Seattle swept the Aces in the 2020 WNBA Finals that were held in a bubble in Bradenton, Florida, but the Aces got revenge two years later in a four-game semifinal victory.

“They’re very scary,” Hammon said. “They have a lot of experience.”

The Aces won’t have to go far for film. They used a dominant fourth quarter Tuesday for an 85-72 win in Seattle to take the season series 3-1.

Here’s a look at how the teams match up:

Season series

— June 7: Storm win 78-65 at Michelob Ultra Arena

— June 19: Aces win 94-83 at Michelob Ultra Arena

— July 10: Aces win 84-79 at Climate Pledge Arena

— Sept. 17: Aces win 85-72 at Climate Pledge Arena

What stood out

There were inconsistencies for 75 percent of the Aces’ season. Playing the Storm wasn’t one of them.

Two of the Aces’ three victories were by double digits, while the other was by five points.

The Aces have figured things out since their June 7 loss to Seattle, when they shot 31.3 percent from the floor and star forward A’ja Wilson and guard Kelsey Plum combined for 47 of their 65 points.

The Aces ended the regular season by winning nine of their last 10 games. One of those victories came Tuesday in Seattle. Wilson scored a team-high 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the road win.

Seattle was without leading scorer Jewell Loyd but still managed to take a 65-64 lead with 8:26 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Aces closed the game on a 21-7 run.

Hammon has always preached on the importance of turning defense into offense. The Aces have put that on full display in the last 10 games.

Thursday against the Dallas Wings was the first time in 11 games the Aces allowed more than 80 points. That was with the Aces resting their “Core Four” of Wilson, Plum, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray and playing all reserves.

They still scored 98 points in the win.

“We’re getting better slowly, especially defensively,” Plum said after scoring 21 points against the Storm on Tuesday. “When we’re able to get stops, that’s when we play in transition the past couple of years. That’s our bread and butter. We’re getting there, but we haven’t showed what we’re capable of, for sure.”

Winds of change

A lot has changed for Seattle since those two postseason encounters with the Aces.

Breanna Stewart and Sue Bird were the catalysts of the Storm. Both are no longer there.

The 2020 bubble season marked the arrival of the Aces, and they broke through two years later in the rematch, surpassing the two legends to make it back to the finals and win their first championship against the Connecticut Sun.

The Storm are a completely different team now.

Loyd and center Ezi Magbegor are the lone holdovers from that 2022 squad. The Storm were aggressive in free agency, signing eight-time All-Star forward Nneka Ogwumike and six-time All-Star point guard Skylar Diggins-Smith. The four of them combine to average 63.2 points this season.

“They have a legit Big Three, Big Four. They’re playing really well,” Hammon said. “They definitely pose a lot of problems.”

X-factors

— Storm: Gabby Williams. The former all-defensive selection re-signed with Seattle on Aug. 20 after helping France earn a silver medal at the Summer Olympics. The forward from Reno averaged 10.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 12 games.

— Aces: Tiffany Hayes. One of the front-runners for Sixth Player of the Year, the guard scored a season-high 21 points Thursday to bolster her case for the award. Much like Williams, Hayes joined the Aces in-season and has been a reliable presence off the bench. The 2017 All-Star had an offensive rating of 119 points per 100 possessions, tied with Wilson for best on the team.

Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.