WNBA Playoffs: MVP Battle In Full Force As Aces Even Series
Votes for 2022 WNBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) might already be in, but the legend of A’ja Wilson vs. Breanna Stewart has only begun.
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Wilson got the best of the Storm star on Wednesday, leading the Aces to a 78-73 win to even their semifinal series 1-1.
For just the third time in WNBA playoff history that two opposing players have broken 30 points, Wilson had a game-high 33 points to go with 13 rebounds and three blocks.
Stewart followed close behind with 32 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks.
The X-factor in Las Vegas’ victory again proved to be point guard Chelsea Gray.
Gray finished with 19 points, seven assists, and seven rebounds, and on defense contested Seattle’s possessions even when she wasn’t getting steals.
Seattle’s Game 1 hero, Jewell Loyd, was held to just eight points on Wednesday.
After a low-scoring first half, the game opened up as heavyweights traded buckets.
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“Obviously a couple of individual great performances by the two best players in the league,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said.
Individual awards are great for league discussion, but for the Aces, the win is everything.
The series now heads to Seattle for two games, with Game 3 tipping off Sunday.
Meanwhile…
The Chicago Sky are back in it, due in no small part to Candace Parker finding yet another gear against the Connecticut Sun.
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Parker followed up her Game 1 performance with another excellent performance, getting more help this time as Chicago evened the series with an 85-77 win.
The Sky set a physical tone early, matching Connecticut’s energy from Game 1.
Parker finished with 22 points, four rebounds, four assists, and three blocks, leading a Chicago starting five that all finished in double digits.
Parker’s playoff scoring totals are currently up 3.6 points per game from the regular season, and she’s also averaging 2.8 more rebounds per game.
In addition to what she brings on the court, Parker also leads a veteran Sky squad that knows what it takes to go all the way.
“I don’t think we had the right mentality in Game 1,” Parker said after the game. “I think we were relaxed in shootaround and in film. That whole day I didn’t think we had the right mentality, and it showed.”
A bright spot for Connecticut in the loss was Jonquel Jones getting more involved.
The 2021 MVP led all scorers with 23 points and contributed seven rebounds and three assists.
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