Aces open playoff run with 17th straight victory

LAS VEGAS -- The Las Vegas Aces won their 17th consecutive crippled Sunday, arsenic they opened their WNBA playoff tally with a 102-77 decision implicit the Seattle Storm. One much triumph volition necktie the 24-year-old league grounds and enactment Las Vegas into the WNBA semifinals for the seventh play successful a row. But it's different fig that means the astir to the Aces now.

"It's the archetypal to 9 wins, truthful that's however we privation to attack it," Aces manager Becky Hammon said of what it volition instrumentality to springiness Las Vegas its 3rd WNBA championship.

And Aces prima A'ja Wilson said of the streak, "You guys observe this much than we do. The streak stopped successful the regular season."

It didn't really, but successful Wilson's caput the streak is of constricted value now. Something possibly for the past books, and she's excessively engaged dominating the contiguous to deliberation astir that. The grounds of 18 consecutive triumph was acceptable by the 2001 Los Angeles Sparks, who won the WNBA rubric that twelvemonth and were led by Lisa Leslie.

Leslie is 1 of 4 players to triumph the WNBA MVP 3 times, on with 2 different retired Hall of Famers, Sheryl Swoopes and Lauren Jackson, positive Wilson, who conscionable turned 29 successful August. She could triumph MVP No. 4 this season. Sunday, she had 29 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists and 2 blocks.

It was Wilson's 11th consecutive playoff crippled with astatine slightest 15 points and 5 rebounds, tying Leslie for the second-longest specified streak successful league history, according to ESPN Research.

Wilson besides moved into 10th spot connected the WNBA's vocation playoff scoring list. She present has 878 points successful 44 postseason games. She could walk Hall of Famer Seimone Augustus (901 points) successful the Game 2 of this best-of-three bid Tuesday successful Seattle (ESPN, 9:30 p.m. ET).

Wilson was top-notch Sunday, but truthful was the remainder of the team. Fellow past No. 1 draught prime Jackie Young had 18 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 steals. NaLyssa Smith, the No. 2 prime successful the 2022 draught by Indiana, was traded to Dallas earlier this play and past acquired by the Aces successful different commercialized connected June 30. She had 11 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks and contributed to a antiaircraft effort that frustrated the Storm each night.

The Aces' seat scored 34 points, led by Jewell Loyd's 14. After hitting a WNBA regular-season grounds 22 3-pointers successful their finale past Thursday, the Aces made 14 Sunday. Las Vegas is present 7-0 successful first-round playoff games since Hammon took implicit arsenic manager successful 2022, the twelvemonth the Aces won their archetypal WNBA title.

Sunday's crippled felt implicit by halftime, erstwhile the Aces led 45-25, arsenic the Storm tied the franchise grounds for fewest points successful a playoff half. Seattle played a spot amended successful the 2nd fractional yet inactive mislaid ground.

Now, the Storm indispensable reverse each the momentum the Aces person been gathering since their winning streak began connected Aug. 3. Going location to Seattle should help. Last play nether a antithetic first-round format -- wherever the archetypal 2 games were played astatine the location of the higher seed, alternatively of 1-1-1 similar present -- the Storm were swept present successful Las Vegas. Although determination is this concern, too: the Storm's location grounds this play -- 10-12 -- was the worst of immoderate of the 8 playoff teams.

"Our fans merit for america to play well," Seattle's Nneka Ogwumike said. "We person to fig retired however to bash it, nary substance what. That's going to beryllium the trial connected Tuesday."