The surging Las Vegas Aces visited the Seattle Storm at Climate Pledge Arena on Tuesday night as the WNBA season is in its final days. The Aces enter the contest on a three-game winning streak and are winners of eight out of their last 10 games while the Storm have won four in a row.
The Aces dominated the first quarter and appeared to be heading for a blowout win before Seattle made a furious comeback before the end of the first half. Kelsey Plum's buzzer-beater to end the second quarter put the back-to-back defending champions up by eight heading into the third.
The Storm kept the game interesting in the second half and even took the lead with eight minutes left in the game. However, the Aces went on a 21-7 run to end the contest and get the important 85-72 win.
Las Vegas Aces vs Seattle Storm: Player stats and box scores
Las Vegas Aces Players Stats and Box Score
A'ja Wilson led the way for the Aces with 21 points, seven rebounds and two assists, going 9-for-18 from the field. Kelsey Plum also had 21 points with seven rebounds and two assists. She went 7-for-11 from the floor, including 5-for-7 from beyond the arc.
Jackie Young contributed 16 points, four rebounds and six assists, while Chelsea Gray added 13 points, six rebounds and five assists. Tiffany Hayes was huge off the bench for the back-to-back defending champions with 10 points and two steals.
Seattle Storm Players Stats and Box Score
Nneka Ogwumike had a team-high 19 points plus six rebounds for the Seattle Storm. Skylar Diggins-Smith almost had a double-double with 17 points and nine assists plus three steals. Gabby Williams added 14 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals.
The Storm put up a great fight against the Aces and they even had a chance to beat them without Jewell Loyd and Ezi Magbegor. Loyd is dealing with a knee injury and has missed the last two games. Magbegor, on the other hand, has a concussion and has also missed two games in a row.
What's next for the Las Vegas Aces and Seattle Storm?
Las Vegas plays its final regular season game on Thursday against the Dallas Wings. The Aces will be the favorites to win that matchup since the Wings are one of the worst teams in the league. They need to win that game and hope the Connecticut Sun lose to the Chicago Sky to steal the No. 3 seed.
Meanwhile, the Seattle Storm will face the Phoenix Mercury in their season finale on the same day. The Storm have already secured their spot in the playoffs as the fifth seed and could rest their players given that two of their best players are nursing injuries.