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A’ja Wilson and Jackie Younger delivered within the largest moments to maintain the Las Vegas Aces’ dynasty streak alive. Wilson tied her playoff profession excessive with 38 factors, and Younger offered the successful putback with 12.4 seconds remaining because the Aces edged the Seattle Storm 74-73 on Thursday evening at Michelob ULTRA Enviornment.
The victory despatched Las Vegas to the semifinals for the seventh consecutive yr, tying the Minnesota Lynx (2011-17) for the longest streak in WNBA historical past.
Seattle almost stole the collection. Erica Wheeler buried a jumper with 18.9 seconds left for a 73-72 lead, however Wilson’s miss on the next journey was rebounded and flipped in by Younger. Wheeler’s free-throw line shot on the buzzer rimmed out, and Gabby Williams was unable to get off a comply with.
“We had been resilient,” Wilson stated. “That’s what we have to be in these playoffs, and I really like every final one in all them. The job’s not performed, it’s simply first spherical and we now have to prepare for the subsequent one.”
Second Quarter Swing
Seattle opened sturdy, closing the primary quarter on a 9-0 run to guide 19-14. Las Vegas managed solely 37.5% taking pictures within the interval and acquired all its scoring from Wilson, Chelsea Grey and Younger.
The sport flipped within the second quarter. The Aces outscored Seattle 19-7, holding the Storm to 2-of-13 taking pictures and no made threes. Wilson scored seven within the body, Grey added 5 and Younger linked on a three-pointer as Las Vegas surged forward 33-26 at halftime.
“That second quarter after we held them to seven factors is how we received the sport—defensive finish,” coach Becky Hammon stated. “Our magic quantity is 73; we’re 12-1 after we maintain groups to 73 or much less.”
A’ja Wilson’s Historic Night time
Wilson managed the second half, pouring in 14 factors within the third quarter to take care of a 52-48 lead coming into the fourth. She completed 14-of-26 from the sector and 10-of-11 from the road with 5 rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks.
Her 38 factors tied her playoff profession excessive and marked her sixth profession 30-point postseason sport, breaking a tie with Maya Moore and tying Angel McCoughtry for third most in WNBA historical past. Breanna Stewart has seven and Diana Taurasi has eight.
Wilson additionally turned the youngest and quickest participant to report 900 factors, 450 rebounds and 100 assists in postseason play. She reached the mark in her forty sixth profession playoff sport at age 29 years, 41 days.
pic.twitter.com/W8gUFePoJv https://t.co/4y48IbF2Es
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) September 19, 2025
With 14 made discipline targets, Wilson moved to sixth on the all-time playoff record with 353, passing Brittney Griner, Lisa Leslie, Stewart and Tamika Catchings. She additionally handed Moore on the free-throw record with 222.
“Generally, after I’m enjoying towards completely different folks—particularly Seattle—they’re lengthy, they’re massive,” Wilson stated. “Generally you possibly can’t analyze it, as a result of you then overanalyze. This sport, I knew with their publish gamers I couldn’t analyze it, in any other case they’d collapse and double. So yeah, I needed to get just a little pep in my step. I additionally really feel it acquired us operating and enjoying at a tempo we wanted.”
Hammon added: “We type of stole there. Though tonight it didn’t matter who guarded her, she was simply on a heater. Plenty of it was get the ball to her, get out of the way in which, and let her go be her.”
Jackie Younger’s Defining Play
Younger had been regular all evening, scoring 14 factors and giving Las Vegas a 3rd scoring possibility alongside Wilson and Grey. However her largest contribution got here when the Aces wanted it most.
With 18.9 seconds left, Erica Wheeler buried a jumper to offer Seattle a 73-72 lead, shifting the stress again to Las Vegas. Wilson drove into the lane on the subsequent possession however her shot rolled off the rim.
Younger was within the good spot. Crashing from the wing, she snatched the rebound and flipped it again in for the go-ahead basket — a hustle play that become the defining second of the collection.
“Clearly we’re going A’ja on the finish of the sport and we now have numerous religion in her and numerous confidence and we expect each shot she shoots goes in,” Younger stated. “However when it left, I noticed that it was just a little bit off to the suitable… I simply made a play, simply attempting to make a proper learn, make an affect. I didn’t do a lot tonight, so simply attempting to make an affect ultimately.”
Wilson wouldn’t let her teammate’s affect go neglected.
“Completely. I’ll all the time stand on that, and never simply because Jackie is sitting subsequent to me,” Wilson stated. “The little issues she does don’t present up within the stat sheet… We don’t do something with out Jackie Younger and it’s going to proceed to be that method.”
Hammon praised Younger’s timing.
“Jack’s putback was ridiculous—we’ve been harping on crashing the boards and Jack was proper on time with that one,” Hammon stated.
Younger, Wilson and Grey mixed for 64 of the Aces’ 74 factors, underscoring how a lot Las Vegas leaned on its core three.
A PUTBACK FOR THE WIN… AND THE SERIES 🤯🤯
Jackie Younger’s game-winner with 12.4 seconds left sends Las Vegas to the WNBA Semifinals!pic.twitter.com/LEluHswuqT
— NBA (@NBA) September 19, 2025
Seattle Storm’s Resistance
The Storm fought to the tip. Wheeler and Nneka Ogwumike every scored 16 factors, with Ogwumike netting 14 after halftime. Skylar Diggins added 13. Seattle outrebounded Las Vegas 33-27, together with a 9-4 benefit on the offensive glass. In addition they hit seven threes and compelled 14 Aces turnovers.
Their defensive technique—guard Wilson one-on-one and keep hooked up to shooters—restricted the Aces to 3-of-12 from past the arc.
“I wasn’t stunned; that’s what they’ve been doing,” Hammon stated. “You may’t cowl her one-on-one. That’s one reply for why we couldn’t rise up threes; they stayed linked to our shooters and locked up. However to let A’ja go one-on-one—that’s robust.”
Wilson credited the Storm for pushing her group to the brink, pointing to their bodily protection, late shot-making and the way in which they compelled Las Vegas out of rhythm for lengthy stretches of the collection.
“They did their job; acquired the win at house and we didn’t convey it,” she stated. “They amped their physicality, made it robust for us. That’s postseason—refs let extra go. It woke us up: that is how playoffs goes to be. We are able to’t revert to the Aces from earlier than All-Star break.”
Classes From A Shut Name
The Aces didn’t play their cleanest sport. They turned the ball over 14 instances, struggled to generate three-point seems to be and almost let a late lead vanish on their house flooring. However in a collection that demanded grit greater than polish, Las Vegas discovered the solutions it wanted.
Wilson stated the win was much less about fashion factors than in regards to the group’s skill to lean on each other when execution broke down.
“I haven’t even acquired time to actually digest something,” she stated. “However I’ll say I’m simply very blissful about how our group actually simply rallied collectively and did the little issues. Despite the fact that it was not good, we nonetheless had one another’s again. And I believe that’s what was the perfection in my eyes.”
Younger emphasised that the postseason is much less about clear execution and extra about surviving the physicality and chaos that comes with elimination video games. She stated the Aces anticipated each possession to really feel like a combat.
“We all know in postseason it’s going to be a dogfight,” she stated. “Everyone amps up their physicality; the refs allow us to play just a little extra. We simply have to determine how the refs are calling it, then go on the market and match that depth.”
Jackie Younger on Sustaining Composure
Younger stated her focus all through the evening was on sustaining her composure, even when photographs weren’t falling or the Storm seized momentum.
“It’s a sport of runs, highs and lows,” Younger stated. “Simply looking for that center floor, when issues aren’t going my method, taking a deep breath, composing myself and getting again to who I’m.”
https://t.co/VwQ1sqWVCw pic.twitter.com/PqJaloXZvH
— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) September 19, 2025
Hammon pointed to the group’s maturity in tight moments, noting that even when the offense stagnated, she by no means doubted her gamers’ skill to complete. She stated the group has earned her belief by repeated late-game battles.
“It’s a bunch I belief down the stretch,” she stated. “The sport in Seattle the place we let that lead slip, that stunned me—I’m not used to seeing that. Us closing doesn’t shock me; this group closes very properly.”
What’s Subsequent
The Aces superior their franchise playoff report to 38-41 and improved to 7-3 in winner-take-all video games. Las Vegas now faces the Indiana Fever in a best-of-five semifinal starting Sunday at midday ET on ABC.
“Our largest factor is simply going to be containing the basketball with out fouling,” Wilson stated. “Kelsey Mitchell’s having a heck of a yr—it’s laborious to gradual her down. It’s not going to be simply Jackie; it’ll take all of us on protection. We’re going to have to actually lock in, play protection the suitable method, be on time, have layers to it.”
Hammon expects a stronger exhibiting than within the common season.
“They haven’t seen the true Aces but,” she stated. “They caught us after we had been in turmoil—not solely that, they whooped us throughout one stretch. We’ll hone in, buckle up, and deal with enterprise.”
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