Peaking for the playoffs: Aces put their best basketball together as they begin a postseason quest for a third consecutive title

The aches and pains the Las Vegas Aces endured through a long regular season finally started to heal in time for the playoffs. The roster is fully healthy, and that’s helped the defensive issues that plagued the Aces for the majority of the season.

In the final dozen games of the regular season, Las Vegas went 10-2 to lock in the No. 4 seed in the WNBA playoffs, which began September 22 with a 78-67 win for the Aces over the Seattle Storm at Michelob Ultra Arena.

After a rough first half, the Aces locked down the opposition, holding Seattle to an unbelievable two points in the fourth quarter. A’ja Wilson, who received her third WNBA Most Valuable Player Award before the game, scored 17 of her 21 points in the second half.

Aces coach Becky Hammon wasn’t shy about calling out her team’s hunger through the first three quarters of the regular season but has halted the criticisms. Hammon finally feels the Aces are in a good spot to chase a historic third straight WNBA title.

“Our defense has really given us a chance to win games,” Hammon said. “It’s just kind of clicked on that end of the floor. If we play well on that end, we’re going to give ourselves a really good chance to win some basketball games.”

Las Vegas in all likelihood will need its best on the defensive end earlier than anyone would have thought. A best-of-five series with the top-seeded New York Liberty, which faces the No. 8 seed Atlanta Dream in the first round, looms in the second round, if both teams advance.

The rematch of last year’s WNBA Finals would begin on September 29 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. That’s where the Aces won their second straight championship a year ago, but success against the Liberty has otherwise eluded them.

New York swept the season series this year and now sits as the clear betting favorite to hoist the trophy at odds of as low as +110 (i.e. risking $100 to win $110) with Las Vegas as high as +325.

That makes this year’s postseason different for Hammon’s Aces, as they’re no longer perceived as the team to beat. But there’s no doubting they still have the most impactful player.

Wilson has powered the Aces’ boost into the playoffs. She led the WNBA in points (1,021), rebounds (451) and blocks (98) during the regular season while becoming the first WNBA player to ever surpass 1,000 points in a season.

No one is on Wilson’s level this year—not even the Liberty’s 2023 MVP Breanna Stewart—but her Aces sidekicks are also surging. 

After missing the first 12 games of the season due to an injury sustained in the 2023 finals, Chelsea Gray has settled back into her role as the Aces’ primary playmaker. She recorded at least five assists in six of her final eight games of the regular season including a season-high 10 in a 90-71 win over the Chicago Sky on September 3.

Kelsey Plum has settled into a consistent scoring touch, averaging 18.6 points per game in her last seven contests. She really shined in the final game against the Liberty, going 5-for-10 from beyond the 3-point line and chipping in 25 points to give the rivals a scare in a 75-71 loss with Wilson sidelined.

Jackie Young continues to be the Aces’ other biggest scoring threat and playmaker. She actually surpassed Gray in assists, averaging 5.3 per game to the longtime point guard’s 4.9, for the first time in the four years they’ve been teammates. 

Tiffany Hayes, who came out of retirement to sign with the Aces midseason, has made an argument for Sixth Player of the Year by boosting her scoring average over the final month. That included a memorable double-double for the 35-year-old against her longtime former team, the Dream, on August 30 where she had 20 points and 10 rebounds.

The Aces are hitting their stride at the right time, which could spell danger for every other team in the postseason. Hammon called the group “battle tested” with the advantage of knowing what it takes to win when stakes are at their highest.

“They have a lot of trust within themselves and within the group,” Hammon said. “There’s an accountability factor, there’s a standard, and it took us a little longer to get there this year, but I feel good about us right now.”

The Aces might have earned their lowest playoff seed since 2019, but they shouldn’t be overlooked. They’re still honed in on a mission to become the first team in WNBA history to win three straight titles.

“They’re playoff games, and anything can happen,” Hammon said. “It’s somewhat of a new, fresh start for us, but also for the other team. Nothing matters other than who plays best and who executes the best for 40 minutes.”

LAS VEGAS ACES VS. SEATTLE STORM Game 3 (if necessary), September 26, Time TBD, Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, ESPN2.

This story appeared in Las Vegas Weekly.