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The Aces are three wins from full dynasty territory.
Less than two months after being stuck in neutral, the Aces surged in the fourth quarter to take Game 1 of the WNBA Finals 89-86 in a back-and-forth game with the Phoenix Mercury, coming back from down nine points in the second half. Game 2 is on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET (ABC).
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The sequence that ultimately decided the game was a foul by Jackie Young on Alyssa Thomas. The Aces challenged the call, which was unsuccessful, but Thomas, who had just made a clutch layup to cut the Vegas lead to one, missed both free throws. The Aces rebounded the second miss and ultimately got two more free throws for Young, who made them.
A final game-tying attempt from Satou Sabally clanked away in the final seconds, to the roar of Michelob Ultra Arena. The shot was heavily contested, and Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts admitted to reporters after the game that he should have called a timeout:
“I probably shoulda ran out and called another timeout with probably six seconds to go. Made it a little tougher that it was at the other end. But they made a good defensive stand there.”
Both teams seemed to be dealing with the physical toll of a full WNBA regular season and postseason. Aces star Chelsea Gray briefly left the game with an apparent ankle injury, as did the Mercury’s Sami Whitcomb. Even as the game came to a close, Thomas was grimacing and holding her hand.
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Perhaps the most encouraging part of the game for the Aces is that they won despite an overall quiet night for their stars. MVP A’ja Wilson tied for the team lead with 21 points, plus 10 rebounds and 5 assists, which is a bit below her usual standards. Young posted 10 points on 3-of-13 shooting, Gray was 2-for-7 with eight points (though the duo combined for 15 assists).
It was the Aces bench that made the difference. Dana Evans tied Wilson with 21 points and became the first player to ever make five 3-pointers and post four steals in a WNBA Finals game. Jewell Loyd had 18 points and four rebounds on starter-level minutes.
While her free-throw misses loomed large, Thomas still had 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting with 10 rebounds and 9 assists, one away from her third career WNBA Finals triple-double (she has the only two in history). Kahleah Copper led the Mercury with 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting.
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Here’s how the action unfolded on Friday night:
