Aces' bench leads way in Game 1 win vs. Mercury

LAS VEGAS -- A'ja Wilson and Dana Evans each scored 21 points, and the Las Vegas Aces bushed the Phoenix Mercury 89-86 successful Game 1 of the WNBA Finals connected Friday night.

Wilson scored 12 of her points implicit the last 14 minutes, and Phoenix's Satou Sabally missed a agelong 3-pointer with 2 seconds near that would person tied it.

Game 2 is Sunday successful Las Vegas.

Evans led an Aces seat that outscored the Mercury's reserves 41-16. Reserve Jewell Loyd scored 18 points for second-seeded Las Vegas, and starter Jackie Young had 10. Wilson had 10 rebounds, and Chelsea Gray had 10 assists.

Kahleah Copper scored 21 points for the fourth-seeded Mercury. Sabally added 19 points and Alyssa Thomas had 15 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists.

Copper scored 19 points successful the archetypal half, 1 disconnected her playoff vocation precocious for a half. Her idiosyncratic champion besides came against the Mercury, erstwhile she scored 20 points for Chicago successful the archetypal fractional of Game 3 of the 2021 Finals. Copper's 5 3-pointers successful the archetypal fractional topped her erstwhile precocious of 4 for a game.

If this crippled was immoderate indication, these Finals -- a best-of-seven bid for the archetypal clip -- fig to beryllium choky throughout. The largest pb was 9 points, and determination were 12 pb changes and 9 ties.

The Mercury threatened to instrumentality power respective times, lone for the Aces to respond with a run. In the end, it was Las Vegas that astir pulled away, lone for Phoenix to support it close.

With Phoenix down a constituent with 24.6 seconds left, Thomas went to the escaped propulsion enactment but missed both. Young was fouled connected the different extremity with 13.5 seconds remaining and made some escaped throws for the last margin.