Basketball fans will be treated to a WNBA Finals rematch early as the Las Vegas Aces swept the Seattle Storm on Tuesday night to set up a semifinals matchup against the New York Liberty.
Las Vegas entered the night with a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series and advanced courtesy of an 83-76 victory, unsurprisingly spearheaded by A’ja Wilson.
The three-time MVP finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds for a series-sealing double-double. Behind her was Kelsey Plum who chipped in with 30 points, tying her playoff career-high.
Meanwhile, Chelsea Gray finished with 12 points and nine assists on what ended up being a milestone night for her. The three-time champ and six-time All-Star passed Aces head coach Becky Hammon for the 15th spot on the WNBA’s all-time playoff scoring list (728) with her performance.
On the other side, the Storm were led by late-addition Gabby Williams. The French Olympian finished the game with 20 points, a new post-season career-high, while former MVP Nneka Ogwumike added 16 points and nine rebounds. Six-time All-Star Skylar Diggins-Smith racked up a double-double of 16 points and 10 assists.
Now the Aces get set to square off against the Liberty in a matchup familiar to all hoop heads. And although Las Vegas holds bragging rights as back-to-back defending champs — beating the Liberty for that second title last season — they are not the powerhouse of 2023.
The Aces finished the season with a 27-13 record, a seven-win drop-off, and entered the post-season as a fourth-seed. They’ve hung their hat on the offensive end all season as the league’s top-scoring squad (86.4 points per game).
The Aces are in pursuit of a three-peat, looking to join the Houston Comets (1997-2000) as the only other WNBA franchise to achieve the feat. In order to get there they’ll have to take down a No. 1 seeded Liberty squad that’s coming off a sweep of their own against the Atlanta Dream, and in desperate need of revenge.
The semifinals series will tip-off on Sunday in New York.
