A’ja Wilson scored a playoff career-high 33 points and added 13 rebounds as the Aces edged the Seattle Storm in Game 2 of the WNBA semifinals Wednesday night.
WNBA
The Storm took advantage of the Aces’ trapping defense in Game 1. Now, Aces coach Becky Hammon and her staff will need to find a solution to avoid going down 2-0.
Aces forward A’ja Wilson received 20 votes from a national panel of sports writers and broadcasters. Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas was second with 14 votes.
The Aces are playing a championship-caliber opponent in the Seattle Storm, and need a response after an underwhelming Game 1 loss.
Fourth-year wing Jackie Young was the choice, becoming the first Aces player to be so honored. Teammate Kelsey Plum also received votes.
In a WNBA playoff game matching two former MVPs, the Aces’ A’ja Wilson scored just eight points and took only 10 shots, and was outplayed by the Seattle Storm’s Breanna Stewart.
Aces guard Kelsey Plum missed a 3-pointer in the final seconds that would have tied the game, allowing the Seattle Storm to steal home-court advantage in the series.
The Aces are three wins away from the WNBA Finals, but face a familiar opponent in the Seattle Storm and MVP candidate Breanna Stewart.
The Aces and Seattle Storm will begin the WNBA semifinals Sunday with just three wins needed to advance to the Finals. Here’s where the series may be won or lost.
Becky Hammon led the Aces to the No. 1 seed in the league, a 26-10 record and won the 2022 Commissioner’s Cup all in her first year as a head coach.
The best-of-five WNBA semifinal series between the Aces and Seattle Storm begins next Sunday at Michelob Ultra Arena.
The Aces on Saturday night took care of business and then some, eliminating Phoenix from these WNBA playoffs 117-80 before 9,126 at Michelob Ultra Arena.
The Aces had a historic shooting performance to win Game 2 of their first-round series against the Phoenix Mercury and advance to the WNBA semifinals.
The Aces have won five consecutive games since center Kiah Stokes joined the starting lineup. They’ll look to continue that trend Saturday in Game 2 of their first-round matchup with the Phoenix Mercury.
The Aces and Mercury have some recent history, but this Phoenix team is very different from the one which upset the Aces during the 2021 semifinals.
