WNBA Playoffs for the ages

Last night was a big night for the WNBA. Leading up to the games, there was possible elimination for two teams. The Connecticut Sun faced elimination against the Chicago Sky and the Seattle Storm fell to the Las Vegas Aces.

The Sun Ties the Series

With the elimination game on their home court, the Connecticut Sun put up a fight against defending WNBA champions in order to force a final matchup with Chicago on Thursday. The Sun’s 104-80 victory with the 24 point margin being the largest win in WNBA history to force a game 5.

After struggling offensively this series, the Sun had no such issue last night. After shooting 38% from the paint in Game 3, The Sun broke a playoff record with 66 points in the paint. They jumped 16 points ahead of Chicago in the first quarter, which is a record for them in the series. They led as many as 27 points later on and the Sky weren’t able to catch up. The offensive energy was the theme for the night as DeWanna Bonner had 19 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. Alyssa Thomas never stopped working the game with  17 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists.

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Despite their defeat, all five starters for the Sky scored in double-digits. As a team, they shot 47.6% from the field and were simply outplayed by the Sun. The Sky turned the ball over 15 times which led to the Sun scoring 23 points. The Sun also had control of the ball with the majority of offensive and defensive rebounds over Chicago. The Sun outworked a seemingly slow and disengaged Chicago team. The Sky have been known to bounce back from these losses so it will come down to the Sky to hit the ground running tomorrow night. The Sun will have to continue their momentum in this final winner-take-all game.

Sue Bird Plays Final WNBA Game

The Las Vegas Aces and the Seattle Storm went head to head last night. The Storm fell to the Aces 97-92 for Sue Bird’s final game. In June 2022, Bird announced that 2022 would be her final season. Bird finished her final game with 8 points and 8 assists, Bird was aiming for a fifth title to add to her collection, but she still closed with an amazing career. Bird remain only 1 of 11 women with an NCAA title, WNBA title and an Olympic gold medal.  Even with the loss, the legendary player finished with a smile and a thank you to her fans.

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Facing elimination, Storm came out ready to play with energy and ferocity, and looked like they would build a big lead in the first quarter. They were never able to pull away, the Storm always there. Neither team was able to pull a double digit lead, and went back and forth until the end.

Chelsea Gray saved her team in the final minute when the game was tied 87-87. Gray shot back-to-back jumpers that gave the Aces a 5 point lead that the Storm was unable to come back from. Gray had a career playoff record with 31 points, 6 rebounds and 10 assists. Teammate A’ja Wilson joined in with 23 points and 13 rebounds.

After missing last season’s playoffs due to an injury, Breanna Stewart was the star of the Storm, despite the defeat, with a career-high 42 points. Jewell Lloyd aided in trying to pull the Storm ahead with 29 points. The duo was not enough to stave off the Aces.

Although the Aces have had decent success in the past few years, they have no Championship title. They are 1 of 4 active teams that have never won at all. The final game is in their homecourt, they have an advantage to win their first title.

Looking ahead, the Connecticut Sun and Chicago Sky go head to head in their final game and the winner will face the Las Vegas Aces.