Kelsey Plum scored 29 points, and A’ja Wilson added 24 points and 13 rebounds as the Las Vegas Aces defeated the Seattle Storm 83-76 on Tuesday night. This win allowed them to move on to the WNBA semifinals for the sixth year in a row.
Las Vegas, which has won 11 straight playoff games at home, swept the best-of-three series and will face top-seeded New York in a rematch of the 2023 WNBA Finals starting Sunday.
The Aces are aiming to be the first team to win three championships in a row since Houston won four consecutive titles from 1997 to 2000 during the league’s early years.
Wilson set a WNBA record by scoring over 20 points and grabbing at least 10 rebounds in 13 playoff games, surpassing Tamika Catchings and Candace Parker.
The WNBA MVP, who struggled in Game 1 by missing her first six shots, bounced back by making 5 of 7 attempts in the first quarter and finishing with 9 of 17.
After Seattle took its first lead with 7:58 left in the fourth quarter, the Aces quickly responded with seven points to take a 71-65 lead, highlighted by Jackie Young’s fast-break layup.
The Storm had a chance to close the gap to 78-74 with 2:22 remaining, but Ezi Magbegor missed both free throws. Chelsea Gray then scored with a jumper, pushing the lead to eight points. Tiffany Hayes secured the victory with a layup amid traffic with 46 seconds left.
Gray contributed 12 points and nine assists for Las Vegas. Plum, who scored only two points in Game 1, finished with 11 of 15 shooting.
For Seattle, Gabby Williams scored 20 points, and Nneka Ogwumike recorded 16 points and 10 rebounds. Magbegor, back after missing Game 1 due to a concussion, added 14 points, while Skylar Diggins-Smith had 13. Jewell Loyd was limited to nine points on 3-of-11 shooting. Seattle hit 6 of 12 three-pointers in the first half but ended up 8 of 23 for the game.
