Despite trailing 89-85 with 11.3 seconds to play in regulation, the Aces rose up late in the fourth quarter and weathered the storm in overtime to claim Game 3 of the WNBA Series in the semi-finals. Aja Wilson played 2020 MVP every second and scored 34 points in a 110-98 win, while star guard Chelsea Gray added 29 points to help Las Vegas take a 2-1 lead in the Seattle Series. Here are three takeaways from this exciting Sunday story.
Storm struggles to contain Wilson
After scoring just eight points in the first game loss of the Aces, Wilson has exploded in each of the last two contests. In Game 2, I got 33 points in 12 of 18 shots from the ground. Then, on Sunday in Game 3, she again missed just six shots, diverting 14 of her 20 looks from the field while adding six points from the free-throw line. Wilson’s success isn’t necessarily a surprise, both given her outstanding resume as well as her averages per game of 22.8 points and 11.8 rebounds against Seattle during the regular season.
Seattle center Tina Charles and Izzy Magbigor have struggled hard to slow down in each of their last two games, especially around the edge. While in the regular season, Wilson’s 26.4% of points against Storm came in the midrange and 44% came in the paint, she was more dynamic around the basket for this series, with 61.3% of her points coming in the paint and only 13.3% coming from the midrange. If Seattle can’t make Wilson uncomfortable to paint in Game Four, it’s hard to see this game get a fifth game.
Chelsea Gray continues its hot run
Gray entered the series playing her best timely basketball. The 29-year-old has averaged 20.8 points and 6.4 assists in his last five regular season games. That success then carried over to the playoffs, where Gray put together 17 effective points in a 6-of-9 shot from the field in Game 1 over Phoenix, and his most prolific 27 points, eight outing assists, while missing only two of her 11 shots, in a game two win. that settled the ace.
Against Seattle, Gray scored 21, 19 and 29 points respectively, but she was much more than just Sunday’s top scorer. Instead, Gray also led the Aces with 12 assists and finished with just one lap. She was the best guard on the field in Game 3, and her performance is the main reason Las Vegas finds itself one win away from the WNBA Finals berth.
Dominant overtime aces dominate Bird’s tournaments
For a brief second it looked as if Sue Bird had added another iconic shot to her already prolific resume. With Seattle giving up the lead with 2.9 seconds left in the fourth quarter after Wilson’s shot, A bird hit a three-corner pointer, So much for the delight of the home crowd. It looked as if that shot, which put Seattle up by two, would be the difference and give Seattle a 2-1 lead – until a corner kick by 2022, more advanced Jackie Young equalized and pushed the competition into overtime.
While the storm hung on the Aces in the first two minutes of overtime — Las Vegas only led 97-96 with 2:51 to play in the period — a three-point blast helped lift the league’s top seed past his opponent. The Aces made five consecutive field goal attempts from 2:35 in overtime until there were only 13 seconds left, when Gray missed a three-pointer with the match margin remaining at 12. At a crucial time and could be a major two-plus minute stretch that alters the completion of the series. Game 4 is set for Tuesday night at 10 p.m. ET
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