A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young delivered in the biggest moments to keep the Las Vegas Aces’ dynasty streak alive. Wilson tied her playoff career high with 38 points, and Young provided the winning putback with 12.4 seconds remaining as the Aces edged the Seattle Storm 74-73 on Thursday night at Michelob ULTRA Arena.
Photo Credit: Jineen Williams | Ballislife
The victory sent Las Vegas to the semifinals for the seventh consecutive year, tying the Minnesota Lynx (2011-17) for the longest streak in WNBA history.
Seattle nearly stole the series. Erica Wheeler buried a jumper with 18.9 seconds left for a 73-72 lead, but Wilson’s miss on the following trip was rebounded and flipped in by Young. Wheeler’s free-throw line shot at the buzzer rimmed out, and Gabby Williams was unable to get off a follow.
“We were resilient,” Wilson said. “That’s what we need to be in these playoffs, and I love each and every last one of them. The job’s not done, it’s just first round and we have to get ready for the next one.”
Second Quarter Swing
Seattle opened strong, closing the first quarter on a 9-0 run to lead 19-14. Las Vegas managed only 37.5% shooting in the period and got all its scoring from Wilson, Chelsea Gray and Young.
The game flipped in the second quarter. The Aces outscored Seattle 19-7, holding the Storm to 2-of-13 shooting and no made threes. Wilson scored seven in the frame, Gray added five and Young connected on a three-pointer as Las Vegas surged ahead 33-26 at halftime.
“That second quarter when we held them to seven points is how we won the game—defensive end,” coach Becky Hammon said. “Our magic number is 73; we’re 12-1 when we hold teams to 73 or less.”
A’ja Wilson’s Historic Night
Wilson controlled the second half, pouring in 14 points in the third quarter to maintain a 52-48 lead entering the fourth. She finished 14-of-26 from the field and 10-of-11 from the line with five rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks.
Her 38 points tied her playoff career high and marked her sixth career 30-point postseason game, breaking a tie with Maya Moore and tying Angel McCoughtry for third most in WNBA history. Breanna Stewart has seven and Diana Taurasi has eight.
Wilson also became the youngest and fastest player to record 900 points, 450 rebounds and 100 assists in postseason play. She reached the mark in her 46th career playoff game at age 29 years, 41 days.
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With 14 made field goals, Wilson moved to sixth on the all-time playoff list with 353, passing Brittney Griner, Lisa Leslie, Stewart and Tamika Catchings. She also passed Moore on the free-throw list with 222.
“Sometimes, when I’m playing against different people—especially Seattle—they’re long, they’re big,” Wilson said. “Sometimes you can’t analyze it, because then you overanalyze. This game, I knew with their post players I couldn’t analyze it, otherwise they’d collapse and double. So yeah, I had to get a little pep in my step. I also feel it got us running and playing at a pace we needed.”
Hammon added: “We kind of stole there. Although tonight it didn’t matter who guarded her, she was just on a heater. A lot of it was get the ball to her, get out of the way, and let her go be her.”
Jackie Young’s Defining Play
Young had been steady all night, scoring 14 points and giving Las Vegas a third scoring option alongside Wilson and Gray. But her biggest contribution came when the Aces needed it most.
With 18.9 seconds left, Erica Wheeler buried a jumper to give Seattle a 73-72 lead, shifting the pressure back to Las Vegas. Wilson drove into the lane on the next possession but her shot rolled off the rim.
Young was in the perfect spot. Crashing from the wing, she snatched the rebound and flipped it back in for the go-ahead basket — a hustle play that turned into the defining moment of the series.
“Obviously we’re going A’ja at the end of the game and we have a lot of faith in her and a lot of confidence and we think every shot she shoots is going in,” Young said. “But when it left, I saw that it was a little bit off to the right… I just made a play, just trying to make a right read, make an impact. I didn’t do much tonight, so just trying to make an impact in some way.”
Wilson wouldn’t let her teammate’s impact go overlooked.
“Absolutely. I’ll always stand on that, and not just because Jackie is sitting next to me,” Wilson said. “The little things she does don’t show up in the stat sheet… We don’t do anything without Jackie Young and it’s going to continue to be that way.”
Hammon praised Young’s timing.
“Jack’s putback was ridiculous—we’ve been harping on crashing the boards and Jack was right on time with that one,” Hammon said.
Young, Wilson and Gray combined for 64 of the Aces’ 74 points, underscoring how much Las Vegas leaned on its core three.
A PUTBACK FOR THE WIN… AND THE SERIES
Jackie Young’s game-winner with 12.4 seconds left sends Las Vegas to the WNBA Semifinals!pic.twitter.com/LEluHswuqT
— NBA (@NBA) September 19, 2025
Seattle Storm’s Resistance
The Storm fought to the end. Wheeler and Nneka Ogwumike each scored 16 points, with Ogwumike netting 14 after halftime. Skylar Diggins added 13. Seattle outrebounded Las Vegas 33-27, including a 9-4 advantage on the offensive glass. They also hit seven threes and forced 14 Aces turnovers.
Their defensive strategy—guard Wilson one-on-one and stay attached to shooters—limited the Aces to 3-of-12 from beyond the arc.
“I wasn’t surprised; that’s what they’ve been doing,” Hammon said. “You can’t cover her one-on-one. That’s one answer for why we couldn’t get up threes; they stayed connected to our shooters and locked up. But to let A’ja go one-on-one—that’s tough.”
Wilson credited the Storm for pushing her team to the brink, pointing to their physical defense, late shot-making and the way they forced Las Vegas out of rhythm for long stretches of the series.
“They did their job; got the win at home and we didn’t bring it,” she said. “They amped their physicality, made it tough for us. That’s postseason—refs let more go. It woke us up: this is how playoffs is going to be. We can’t revert to the Aces from before All-Star break.”
Lessons From A Close Call
The Aces didn’t play their cleanest game. They turned the ball over 14 times, struggled to generate three-point looks and nearly let a late lead vanish on their home floor. But in a series that demanded grit more than polish, Las Vegas found the answers it needed.
Wilson said the win was less about style points than about the team’s ability to lean on one another when execution broke down.
“I haven’t even got time to really digest anything,” she said. “But I will say I’m just very happy about how our team really just rallied together and did the little things. Even though it was not perfect, we still had each other’s back. And I think that’s what was the perfection in my eyes.”
Young emphasized that the postseason is less about clean execution and more about surviving the physicality and chaos that comes with elimination games. She said the Aces expected every possession to feel like a fight.
“We know in postseason it’s going to be a dogfight,” she said. “Everybody amps up their physicality; the refs let us play a little more. We just have to figure out how the refs are calling it, then go out there and match that intensity.”
Jackie Young on Maintaining Composure
Young said her focus throughout the night was on maintaining her composure, even when shots weren’t falling or the Storm seized momentum.
“It’s a game of runs, highs and lows,” Young said. “Just trying to find that middle ground, when things aren’t going my way, taking a deep breath, composing myself and getting back to who I am.”
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— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) September 19, 2025
Hammon pointed to the team’s maturity in tight moments, noting that even when the offense stagnated, she never doubted her players’ ability to finish. She said the group has earned her trust through repeated late-game battles.
“It’s a group I trust down the stretch,” she said. “The game in Seattle where we let that lead slip, that surprised me—I’m not used to seeing that. Us closing doesn’t surprise me; this group closes very well.”
What’s Next
The Aces advanced their franchise playoff record to 38-41 and improved to 7-3 in winner-take-all games. Las Vegas now faces the Indiana Fever in a best-of-five semifinal beginning Sunday at noon ET on ABC.
“Our biggest thing is just going to be containing the basketball without fouling,” Wilson said. “Kelsey Mitchell’s having a heck of a year—it’s hard to slow her down. It’s not going to be just Jackie; it’ll take all of us on defense. We’re going to have to really lock in, play defense the right way, be on time, have layers to it.”
Hammon expects a stronger showing than in the regular season.
“They haven’t seen the real Aces yet,” she said. “They caught us when we were in turmoil—not only that, they whooped us during one stretch. We’ll hone in, buckle up, and take care of business.”
The post A’ja Wilson’s 38, Jackie Young’s Putback Send Las Vegas Aces Past Seattle Storm as Historic Semifinals Streak Reaches Seven appeared first on Ballislife.com.
