May 25, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Wilson's official basketball with WNBA logo worn during the game between the LA Sparks and the Las Vegas Aces at Crypto.com Arena Net. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images A'ja Wilson scored 21 points, Tiffany Hayes scored 20 off the bench, and a stellar fourth-quarter defensive performance led the host Las Vegas Aces ) had its best game yet, beating the Seattle Storm 78-67 in Game 1 on Sunday night.
Las Vegas held Seattle scoreless in the fourth quarter and the Storm weren't in the game until Skylar Diggins-Smith hit two free throws with 4:07 left. Score.
Seattle went 0-for-12 from the field in the final 10 minutes.
The Aces were struggling to get offense against Seattle's suffocating defense and were only up by five when Diggins-Smith stepped to the free throw line. They didn't score in the fourth quarter until Kelsey Plumb's layup with 7:08 left, Plumb's only score of the night.
After Diggins-Smith's late free throw, Las Vegas scored eight straight points to end the game.
Chelsea Gray scored 16 points for the Aces and finished the game with two baskets. Gray also dished out a team-high seven assists.
Jackie Young added 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds for Las Vegas. Wilson, the unanimous WNBA MVP earlier Sunday, had a team-high eight rebounds, tying him with Kiah Stokes.
Nneka Ogwumike had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds in the defeat. Gabby Williams scored 14 points and eight rebounds, and Mercedes Russell scored eight points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.
Diggins-Smith scored a team-high 16 points and a game-high eight assists for Seattle. With Jewell Loyd returning from a knee injury, Las Vegas scored just six points on 2-for-8 shooting.
The Storm made 25 of 68 shots (36.8%) and struggled to find scoring opportunities in the paint. Wilson did a great job protecting the rim, blocking five shots.
Ezi Magbegor (concussion) was out for Seattle, which led 65-64 in the fourth quarter but then went cold.
–Scene-level media