It has been a cat-and-mouse run in the Seattle Storm vs the Las Vegas Aces in Round 1. “I thought we played the first game a little hesitant. I was proud of the way we responded tonight,” said Skylar Diggins after leading the Storm to a win in Game 2 of the playoff series against the Aces. The win broke the Aces’ 17-game win streak and reduced hopes of a sweep. But A’ja Wilson had the last laugh, as they won Game 3 by a very close margin of 74-73 in the final seconds. The Storm did not go down easily, which made A’ja Wilson, whose lapses in Game 2 contributed to the Storm’s win, a bit ‘uncomfortable’.

In the aftermath of the Aces’ win, Jackie Young & A’ja Wilson participated in a presser. During the same time, a reporter asked Wilson about her review of the Seattle Storm’s performance. Addressing Game 2, she said, “I mean, they did their job. They did their job. They got the win at home, and we didn’t bring it. We didn’t have it, we didn’t, and it’s crazy. We didn’t have it, and we still just lost by three. But we just didn’t have it”. After having lost Game 1 by a score of 102-77, the Storm brought in a different level of offensive prowess, which the Aces star admitted caught them by surprise.

“They made us uncomfortable, but I think it was our turn to kind of do that because we made them uncomfortable game one,” Wilson added. “It was just…. that’s the way it is. So, yeah, I think they did a good job, a solid job of just taking care of business at home, but we had to do the same.”

The Las Vegas Aces had a good grip on the offense during Game 2. In fact, when the 3rd quarter came around, the Seattle Storm were down 14 points! However, Skylar Diggins and Nneka Ogwumike took charge in the later part of the game. Combined, they dropped 50 points to put the score neck-to-neck, and helped the Storm win by a close margin.

A’ja Wilson, meanwhile, was kept scoreless in the final 7 minutes. In fact, she managed to shoot only 1/3 from the field during the entire 4th quarter. This was thanks in part to Dominique Malonga, a 19-year-old. Highlights shared on social media showed Wilson being prevented by the young star from making a shot from inside the paint when the Aces were leading 79-70.

Malonga also forced her to pass the ball after the former wouldn’t let her get closer to the rim. Her defense also caused Wilson to miss a shot as less than a minute remained in the game. With the score being so close, a successful shot could have bagged the game for the Aces. Something that the Seattle Storm wanted in Game 3 to create a WNBA upset.

The Storm were leading by a point when the game had 12 seconds left. But Aces held onto their nerves even when A’ja Wilson missed a 12-foot step-back jumpshot. Teammate Jackie Young then made an offensive rebound, followed by a tip shot, adding 2 to the scoreboard. Next, “End of Game” as Aces move to the semifinals.

A’ja Wilson “Weathered The Storm” Through 38-Point Performance

The Michelob ULTRA Arena was filled with MVP chants for A’ja Wilson. Even a close 74-73 victory would not have been possible without her, as she led the scoring effort with her 38 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. Though she shot only 0-1 (0.0%) 3-pointers, she made up for it through 14-26 (53.8%) field goals, and 10-11 (90.9%) free throws. With this score, she tied her own playoff career high from 2023 and took the number of playoff games in which she recorded 30 or more points up to 6.

When the time came to take the credit, however, Wilson wasn’t willing to just take the whole spotlight for herself. In fact, during her post-game interview with ESPN, she said, “No pun intended, but we weathered the Storm. They punched us and we punched back and we kept punching. I can’t express how proud I am of my team, but the job is not done. This is the first round, we gotta get ready for the next one.”

The 2025 Co-Defensive Player of the Year, along with the rest of the Aces, kept the Storm at bay (pun intended). In the 2nd quarter, Las Vegas held Seattle to only seven points on a 2 of 13 shooting. Despite that, Skylar Diggins and co kept being on an equal pace. Erica Wheeler hit a pull-up jump shot with less than 20 seconds remaining to give Seattle a 73-72 lead. That could have been the game-winner.

Wilson had earlier missed a shot attempt with 13.5 seconds on the clock. Fortunately, unfortunately, Jackie Young got an offensive rebound and made a tip shot that secured the win for the Aces. The Las Vegas Aces will next go up against the Indiana Fever. How they fare against that team, which is looking to make a mark without Caitlin Clark’s help, is something that remains to be seen.