LAS VEGAS, NV. —Kelsey Plum tied her postseason high with 29 points and A’ja Wilson tallied 24 points and 13 boards to lead the Las Vegas Aces (2-0) to an 83-76 victory over the Seattle Storm (0-2) in the First Round of the WNBA Playoffs. The game, played in front of the 22nd home sellout crowd this season, catapulted the Aces to their sixth consecutive WNBA Semifinals where they will face New York in a best-of-5 series that opens in Brooklyn on Oct. 28.
Gabby Williams had 20 points to lead four double-digit scorers for the Storm.
The Aces shot 31 of 66 from the field (.470), on which 23 were assisted, and 7 of 22 from 3-point range (.318), while the Storm made 29 of 75 (.387) overall and 8 of 23 (.348) from distance.
The Aces outscored Seattle 42-34 points in the paint.
The Aces outrebounded the Storm 45-30.
Wilson’s 24 points and 13 rebounds marked her 13th 20/10 playoff contest, the most in WNBA postseason history. She entered the game tied with Tamika Catchings and Candace Parker.
Wilson now has 766 playoff points and is ranked No. 13 among all-time WNBA playoff scorers. Breanna Stewart (772) and Brittney Griner (810) are next on the list. No. 10 is Deanna Nolan with 867. Chelsea Gray scored 12 points now has 728 points in postseason play, passing Becky Hammon (722) to move into No. 15 in league history behind No. 14 Katie Douglas (730).
Wilson now has 19 playoff games with 20+ points, which is tied with Brittney Griner for 9th in WNBA playoff history. Eighth on the list is Lisa Leslie with 21.
Wilson has scored in double figures in 18 consecutive postseason games which is the 13th longest streak in WNBA history. Cynthia Cooper is 12th on the list with 19 straight games.
Wilson now has 387 rebounds in postseason play, good for No. 8 in WNBA history. Next up is Sylvia Fowles with 426.
Wilson (9 defensive rebounds) now has 304 postseason defensive boards, moving her past Sylvia Fowles (298) into 7th in league history. Taj McWilliams-Franklin is 6th on the list with 305.
Wilson (2 blocks) now has 85 blocked shots in the postseason which are the 4th most in league history trailing No. 3 Brittney Griner’s 102.
Gray (9 assists) now has 281 assists in the postseason which are the 5th most in league history behind No. 4 Diana Taurasi (293).
Wilson’s 8 made 2-pointers brought her playoff total to 282, which is tied with Taj McWilliams-Franklin for No. 7 in league history. No. 6 is DeWanna Bonner (287) and No. 5 is Lindsay Whalen (299).
The Aces travel to New York for Games 1 and 2 of the 2024 WNBA Semifinals which are slated for Sunday, Sept. 29, and Tuesday, Oct. 1. Tip-off time on Sunday is to be announced, as is the broadcast network.
