In a tight three-game series between the Las Vegas Aces and Seattle Storm, the Aces came out on top. But it wasn’t without struggles. After the Aces took Game 1 with a comfortable 102-77 win, the Storm took Game 2 in an electrifying 86-83 win after the Aces led at one point by 14 points.
Game 3 was a thrilling finish that the Aces were able to close out, but not without some drama and perfectly timed moments. If the Aces can improve in three critical aspects that cost them Game 2, they would be poised to continue their run and dominate in the semifinal round.
Don’t let off the gas
Letting off the gas appeared to be a big struggle for the Aces in Game 2. Going into the fourth quarter, Jackie Young hit a jump shot, putting the Aces up by eight. In the fourth quarter, at about 6:50 left in the game, Skylar Diggins hit a critical shot, cutting the 12-point lead down to 10, with an assist from Ezi Magbegor. This shot initiated the comeback for the Storm, who took the game in an 86-83 win. Diggins led the Storm with 26 points, along with seven assists and a rebound.
The Aces let off the gas in Game 3 as well, allowing Seattle to hit critical shots and tie the game after Vegas led by as many as eight late in the third quarter. The Storm managed to tie the game with just 2:20 left in the fourth quarter, when Erica Wheeler hit two free throws after being fouled by Jewell Loyd. The intense back and forth ultimately saw the Aces triumph after a put-back bucket from Young, a return to the relentless effort they need to maintain moving forward.
“I saw that it was a little bit off to the right,” Young told reporters after Game 3. “I’m like, it’s either going to bounce in or it’s going to come off. It came off just right. I don’t really think I had enough time to come down, obviously, because there were three, they were gonna have that right back on me. And I just made a play, just trying to make an impact.”
The Aces need to keep the energy and drive they maintained throughout the 20 minutes of each game if they want to succeed. Throughout the first half of the season, head coach Becky Hammon alluded to their struggles of finding a full 40 minutes. They found that full 40 minutes during their 17-game win streak, and need to maintain that full 40 minutes going into the semifinal round.
Making free throws
In Game 1, the Aces had a free-throw percentage of 72.7%, hitting eight out of 11 shots. In Game 2, the Aces shot 69.0% from the line, going 20 for 29. In a three-point loss, nine missed free throws effectively decided the game.
In the post-game press conference, Hammon was asked about their free throwing. Safe to say, Hammon was not happy with the outcome.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Hammon told reporters after the game.
In Game 3, they improved their free-throw percentage drastically, making 15 out of 17. Their 88.2% accuracy helped them secure the 74-73 win. If the Aces can continue to hit free throws, the Aces could have a dominant matchup against the Indiana Fever, whose 19.5 opponent free-throw attempts per game were the most among the eight playoff teams in the regular season.
Increase defensive pressure
Forced travels, blocks, and steals are what kept the Aces alive in close games. So far, the Aces have averaged 7.5 steals per playoff game, along with 4.5 blocks. Game 1 saw the Aces get their first points of the game from A’ja Wilson off a steal from Young. Defensive pressure was the key to their Game 1 success, where they beat the Storm 102-77.
“I think that they were ready,” Nneka Ogwumike told reporters after Game 1. “I felt like they were more ready than we were when we started the game. I guess the way that it felt like, you know, we had an idea of what we wanted to do, but they did what they wanted to do to start the game off, we were a bit more reactive and non-proactive.”
In Game 3, the Aces forced nine of their 17 turnovers in the first half. Among those 17 forced turnovers, the Aces forced one shot clock violation, one backcourt violation, and two travels, all in the first 23 minutes of play.
That lone backcourt violation was the result of active hands forcing an errant Diggins pass that Nneka Ogwumike had to chase down to limit the damage to a deadball turnover and not a fastbreak chance for Las Vegas.
Though it wasn’t strictly a defensive play, Young’s boxout while surrounded by a quartet of Storm defenders served as another stolen possession. After the Storm missed their last two shots, the Aces advanced to the semifinals with Young’s heads-up play making the difference. Young finished with a game-high four steals.
”Everyone talks about me, whoop-de-doo, but let’s not forget who Jackie Young is,” Wilson told reporters after Game 3. “… and why we drafted her, and how she has evolved into this perfect, two-way player in our league, and the career that she’s gonna have. I’m grateful to be your teammate, girl, for real.”
The Aces take on Kelsey Mitchell and the No. 6 Indiana Fever in the semifinals. Game 1 will be held at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday. Tip-off is at 12 p.m. PST on ABC.