Aces End Regular Season With Giant 10,000+ Crowd, Defeat Seattle To Clinch WNBA Playoffs’ Top Seed
By Cassandra Cousineau of LVSportsBiz.com
A monster crowd of more than 10,000 strong Sunday cheered on the Las Vegas Aces to the best record in the WNBA and the number one seed in the W’s eight-team playoffs.
The Aces polished off the Seattle Storm, 109-100, as A’ja Wilson cemented her inside track to the league’s MVP award.
The Aces said attendance was 10,015 — a sellout at Mandalay Bay’s Michelob Ultra Arena on a day when Aces/Raiders owner Mark Davis enjoyed not one but two wins. His Raiders played right across Interstate 15 at Allegiant Stadium and defeated the Minnesota Vikings in the Silver & Black’s first home preseason game.
Aces fans packed “The House,” as the team calls its venue, after coping with bumper-to-bumper traffic on the way to Mandalay Bay.
Davis watched the entire Aces game in person, soaking up the big win from his courtside seat among fellow fans in an arena that was filled with celebration smoke and confetti.
Aces head coach Becky Hammon challenged her team to stay locked into team defense while facing the veteran-laced Seattle Storm. Its longtime player, Sue Bird, played her final regular season game of her WNBA career as the Storm head into the postseason.
“Vegas has always had really talented pieces, but you gotta have all five doing it,” the first-year coach said. With consistent scorer Jackie Young feeling sick, Hammon noted, “She still was able to give us valuable minutes on defense when we had to have those stops.”
It was an exciting game with nine lead changes, mostly in the fourth quarter, and the contest was also tied three times before Las Vegas pulled ahead for good at 94-91 with under minutes to go behind a ridiculous underhanded scoop by Kelsey Plum who beat the Storm’s Breanna Stewart to the basket.
Sunday was Seattle’s All-Everything guard Bird’s final regular-season game. She was gifted a custom leather jacket with the Storm logo on the back for her final regular-season game in Las Vegas.
Aces All-Star guard Chelsea Gray led all scorers with a career high game. She contributed 33 points, went 10-15 from the field, and dished out nine assists.
Wilson sat beside Gray in the post-game press conference, praising the slick-passing guard for staying composed. “Her calmness. Her composure. But when it comes to Chelsea Nichelle Gray, she stays level and composed and Imma rock with her forever.”
The Sunday afternoon game also had potential regular season MVP honors on the line in a matchup between 2020 MVP Wilson and the Storm’s 2018 MVP winner Stewart.
Wilson finished the game with 25 points and 10 defensive boards. She was a pivotal piece on both ends of the court anchoring the defense throughout the game.
“I just want my team to know that they can count on me to be working on defense regardless,” Wilson said postgame. “I’m not saying I’m a lock down defender but, I will be working hard and being right where they need me to be.”
As far as Hammon was concerned about the league’s MVP, “I mean you guys know where my vote would be going.”
Wilson and Plum each scored more than 700 points this season. It wouldn’t be surprising to see both of their names among the top MVP vote getters.
What does Wilson tell her teammates in the group chat?
“We talk about non-verbal communication, and that’s happening defensively now. I mean, it’s something that doesn’t even need to be said, we work hard for this.”
The team anchor believes everyone is ready to finish their goal of being the last team standing.
“We put ourselves in this situation. We’re not done yet. At the end of the day, I would not say anything extra to hype my teammates up. It’s playoff time. Either you want it or you don’t.”
Wilson finished the press conference by inviting the entire Las Vegas community to come out and support the Aces during the playoffs.
“The mayor, the governor, the president, House members.” Wilson used her time at the microphone to extend a personal invitation to just about anyone representing Las Vegas.
“Police, Raiders, Knights, Aviators, Lights, Raiderettes, Runnin’ Rebels.”
She even implored Floyd Mayweather, the money team, and UFC members to come to The House for the sake of “women’s basketball.”
The Aces held a special acknowledgment event for season ticket holders for the game.
The Aces’ first playoff game is Wednesday at 7PM In Las Vegas against the Phoenix Mercury, the team that knocked out the Aces in the semifinals last season.
