The Las Vegas Aces and Seattle Storm open their best-of-three first-round playoff series Sunday night at T-Mobile Arena, a matchup that pits the hottest team in the league against one of the grittiest.
Las Vegas earned the No. 2 seed with a 30-14 record, closing the season on a league-record 16-game win streak. The Aces are chasing their third WNBA championship in four years behind MVP frontrunner A’ja Wilson and a balanced roster that has found rhythm at the right time.
Seattle secured the No. 7 seed with a 23-21 record, relying on defense and resilience to clinch a postseason berth on the final day of the regular season. The Storm lead the league in steals and blocks, and they carry veteran experience with Nneka Ogwumike, Skylar Diggins, Gabby Williams, and Ezi Magbegor. The franchise is seeking its first series win since 2022.
Familiar Rivals
The Aces and Storm have become playoff regulars against one another. They have met in three of the last five postseasons, with Seattle sweeping Las Vegas in the 2020 Finals and the Aces eliminating the Storm in the 2022 semifinals en route to back-to-back titles.
This season, the teams split their four regular-season matchups, with Seattle holding Las Vegas under its season scoring average in three of those games. Their most recent meeting came on Aug. 8, when the Aces earned a 90-86 win behind Wilson’s 26 points and rookie Dominique Malonga’s 22 off the Storm bench.
Storm head coach Noelle Quinn said the familiarity between Seattle and Las Vegas runs deeper than just this season’s split regular-season series. The two franchises have faced each other in three of the past five postseasons, trading blows in high-stakes moments that still shape how both sides prepare.
“There’s a bit of — not nostalgia — but a familiarity,” Quinn said. “The vibe and the feel of our teams feels a little bit different for me, having a lot of new pieces, but (I have) familiarity in the opponent, knowing what they do in the playoffs, how they play, what the atmosphere feels like, smells like and sounds like.”
2022 Aces/Storm remains one of the most iconic playoff series of all time pic.twitter.com/p6WSJg9faf
— curt miller’s beard (@phxsunz25) September 21, 2024
Aces’ Surge Behind A’ja Wilson
Wilson closed the season with another dominant campaign, averaging 23.4 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. She said the group’s growth during the second half of the season fueled their late surge. It was announced by the WNBA Wilson was named a 2025 Peak Performer, along with Angel Reese and Alyssa Thomas.
“Our vision was always going to keep the main thing the main thing, which was just playing our basketball at the right time,” Wilson said. “Did it look like the way we thought it should look like? No. But I feel like that’s everything in life. Sometimes we have these schedules and times and goals already set… but sometimes that’s not in our control. Sometimes we just let God do his work.”
Aces head coach Becky Hammon said she believes the team’s transformation over the final two months of the regular season was the product of finally finding its collective identity. After hovering at .500 midway through the year and searching for consistency on both ends of the floor, Hammon pointed to the late-season surge as evidence of improved chemistry and trust among the roster.
“I really felt like they were this the whole time,” Hammon said. “It just took a little longer than I’d like to develop chemistry-wise and trust-wise and ball movement wise. But they got there. They really buckled in and started figuring out that they’re better together.”
Jewell Loyd, who spent the first decade of her career in Seattle, will be a central storyline. Loyd averaged 11.2 points and 2.3 made threes per game in her first season with Las Vegas, often providing a spark off the bench. The Storm have downplayed the emotions of facing their longtime star, but her shooting adds another layer to the Aces’ attack.
The numbers don’t lie📈. This season, three stars led the way in points, rebounds and assists. Introducing your 2025 WNBA Peak Performers:
— WNBA Communications (@WNBAComms) September 12, 2025
PPG: A’ja Wilson
RPG: Angel Reese
APG: Alyssa Thomas pic.twitter.com/HYrcSLmm7Q
Storm Lean on Defense and Balance
Seattle survived a turbulent year, finishing last in the league in rebounding but among the best in steals and blocks. They clinched their playoff spot on Erica Wheeler’s buzzer-beater against Golden State, a moment Wheeler called symbolic of their team-first mindset.
“It’s never really about me,” Wheeler said. “We knew how important this game was to get into the postseason. So yeah, that shot won the game, but it was a team effort. We did everything we needed to do as a team.”
Seattle endured more nail-biters than any other team in the league. The Storm played 29 of their 44 games in “clutch” situations, defined as contests within five points or fewer in the final five minutes. No other team came close — the Golden State Valkyries and Washington Mystics tied for second with 24 such games.
Look at the effort from the Seattle Storm defense.
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) August 2, 2025
Plum looking to attack, Storm double. Williams and Ezi take passes away. Good job by Ezi to flow back to the block, great effort from Gabby Williams to get back in the play and contest. pic.twitter.com/ZgHmre9jmq
The Storm Seek First WNBA Title Since 2020
The Storm went 14-15 overall in those tight moments, but their execution slipped after the All-Star break, finishing just 4-9 in 13 clutch games. Even so, Nneka Ogwumike said that constant exposure to high-pressure situations has sharpened the group for the postseason.
“We’ve been in a lot of tight games to the end, and over time we’ve been able to train that muscle,” Ogwumike said. “I can’t help but believe it will prepare us for what we’re going to experience in the postseason.”
Quinn credited Wheeler’s two-way play and emphasized how Seattle’s depth has emerged late in the season. Brittney Sykes has become a defensive disruptor on the perimeter following a midseason trade with the Washington Mystics, while Malonga has solidified the bench rotation with rebounding and rim protection after being drafted No. 2 overall.
“Erica’s having a career year this year and it’s the threes, it’s the defense,” Quinn said. “To seize the moment, take care of business on home court against a team who is trending really positively—shows a lot of resiliency.”
Prediction: Aces Win the Series Quickly
Las Vegas has every advantage heading into the series — momentum, depth, and the league’s best player in Wilson. The Aces’ 16-game win streak has featured improved three-point shooting, balance across the roster, and a defense that has clamped down after a shaky start to the season. With Wilson anchoring the paint and a resurgent supporting cast of Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray, Jewell Loyd, and NaLyssa Smith, Las Vegas looks like the team to beat.
Seattle’s path to an upset will depend on turning the series into a grind. The Storm lead the league in steals and blocks, and their defensive intensity can keep them in close games. If Ogwumike controls the paint, if Sykes and Williams can disrupt Las Vegas’ perimeter rhythm, and if Malonga provides consistent minutes off the bench, Seattle can stretch the series to three games.
But the Aces have proven too balanced, too experienced, and too confident to be derailed early. Expect Seattle to fight hard, especially at home in Game 2, but Las Vegas is the clear favorite to advance.
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