For six straight weeks, the LV Aces looked untouchable. A jaw-dropping 17-game win streak, short of just a few games away from creating W history. So when they entered Game 1 of their first-round playoff against the Seattle Storm, the result felt inevitable. A dominant 102-77 blowout that only reinforced their dynasty tag. But… when it came time to seal the deal in Game 2 of the best-of-three series, the Storm flipped the script. Led by Nneka Ogwumike, Seattle suddenly looked like they’d cracked the very code the WNBA had been chasing since August 2. Well, the star player’s here to put it down for you!

With the Aces up 83-81 and just 35 seconds remaining, it felt like the game was slipping away. But Nneka Ogwumike didn’t let that happen. She snagged a clutch rebound, pushed it ahead to Diggins, and in a flash, the 19-year-old Dominique Malonga made a point shot off of Skylar Diggins’ assist. Finally, the one gave Seattle the lead, but then Gray coughed up the ball. At the same time, Diggins went straight to Young, pulled up just inside the foul line, and buried the jumper with just 4.2 seconds remaining. And this, my friend, was the golden moment. Stretching the lead to three and silencing the reigning MVP and the Aces in their own home. But all these words couldn’t explain it better than Ogwumike, whose confidence speaks volumes.

“We had a really tough August. We saw a lot of close games that didn’t go our way. I think we’re actually training our muscles that you need in the postseason. So today was one of those days when we’ve been in punch time and we’ve been able to turn it around,” she shared in a postgame interview with ESPN.

The recent win against the Aces marks their first playoff win since 2022 and the second-highest playoff comeback in franchise history. Simply put, their rally from a 79-70 deficit with a 16-4 run against two-time WNBA champions who’ve been stacking wins proves they’re more than prepared for Game 3. What could rattle the Aces even more is, only two players drove the team, and still the Aces couldn’t stop them.

While Ogwumike added 24 points, and Diggins 26, the Storm were always in the race. At halftime, the scoreboard read: 45-44, a big thing given the Aces’ 17 win streak. But to be honest, it’s no surprise anymore as both players have been doing it throughout the season. As Ogwumike shared about training the muscles, we’ve seen a glimpse of it during the August 24th victory.

With the score tied at 82 and just 6.1 seconds left, the Storm huddled up. While Coach Noelle Quinn drew it simple, Diggins was taking the final shot. The star player walked back on the floor and whispered to Nneka Ogwumike that the Mystics had been smothering the pick-and-roll all night.

And that’s how Diggins found Ogwumike, who freed herself for a winning jumper from the free-throw line. “Very potent pick-and-roll since teenage years,” Diggins told ESPN back then, and this empowered the two to grab a win for the Storm. But it ain’t just the two players, though, the entire offense ruled tonight. All thanks to the Aces’ defensive lapses that made it all possible, as Becky Hammon put it better.

“I thought the ball stopped moving. But more importantly, our defense let us down. We know we can’t give teams 25, 27 points. Like, we’re not built that way. They know that,” Hammon shared in the postgame press conference. And yes, Becky’s frustration is quite understandable. In Game 1, the Aces beat the Storm 102-77. But what made the win even more impressive was that Seattle was held to a mere 25 points in the first half, which is one of the fewest playoff half outputs by the Storm in franchise history.

But the same team lost Game 2 by 83-86, and it looked as if the Storm turned the tables upside down. In the last game, Seattle gave up 13 turnovers, leading to 21 points for the Aces. But today, the Aces had 15 compared to the Storm’s 10. This suggests that the Aces’ offense likely got stalled in parts. Poor ball movement led to turnovers, and the Storm made an easy 18 points out of them. But the real difference-maker was the 16 fast-break points and 10-of-20 from the three-point line for the Storm. But it’s just Game 2, and the Aces still have a chance to make a comeback. Can they?

After Nneka spills the beans, will Hammon’s strategy work?

With Becky Hammon as head coach, who’s already served in the NBA, the Aces know their weaknesses right after the game. And she’s got a plan to execute for Game 3, too. “So we just got to be better next time, a little more attention to detail,” she added in the press conference after the loss. Yes, they’ve got to tighten up their defense in the fourth quarter.

Game 2 saw the Aces fall apart late, as the Storm outscored them 25-14 in the fourth quarter. So they need to focus on better rotations, contesting shots, and definitely avoiding defensive lapses at the end. They also need to limit turnovers, especially in crunch time, as the Storm forced Las Vegas into 11 turnovers.

While Seattle made a better push, they also won momentum with rebounds. And not just that, the Storm’s go-ahead plays in the final minutes, like Skylar’s jumper with 4.2 seconds left, showed the team’s poise. The Aces, meanwhile, turned the ball over trying for big shots rather than taking high-percentage ones. So when Hammon shared a little more attention to detail, she meant focusing on these areas. But…Nneka Ogwumike shared that the team’s been training muscles for such games. So, is it a warning for the Aces for Game 3? Well, for that, you need to head to Game 3 on September 19!