Welcome to the Winsidr Live Playoff Journal, where we’ll keep you apprised of everything going on in the action-packed WNBA postseason! The morning after every game, our team here at Winsidr will post a recap of the previous evening’s events, featuring key plays, moments, and performances from the stars of the night. Looking for a one-stop shop specializing in all things WNBA Playoffs? You’ve come to the right place! Check this space daily throughout the playoffs for updates, opinions, and all your WNBA needs.
This game was expected to be a battle and it did not disappoint. The Seattle Storm came into Las Vegas and stole Game One 76-73 over the Las Vegas Aces.
For as good as the Aces were at home this season and for as mediocre as the Storm have been on the road, you wouldn’t have known it by looking at the first quarter. The Storm rode an early 13-4 run to shock the Aces on their home court, bottling up Wilson by not allowing her to get early seals on Storm defenders in the paint. Neither team shot especially well early on, but it was Seattle who played perfectly by not turning the ball over and scoring seven first quarter points off four Vegas turnovers to push the lead to 26-15 after the first quarter.
The Aces worked to chip away all game, eventually taking the lead late in the fourth, as both teams traded buckets—a Jewell Loyd three here, a Chelsea Gray turnaround off one foot there. After Vegas took a 71-70 late, Seattle went on a six to two scoring run to close the quarter. When Seattle has Breanna Stewart (24 points) and Loyd (26) scoring, with Sue Bird facilitating (12 assists), they’re tough to beat. But this team went out and got Tina Charles for a reason, and when she adds a 13-point, 18-rebound day, beating the Storm is a futile task. Credit the Aces for hanging around as long as they did, with Gray scoring 21 points and Kelsey Plum adding 20 points. Even though the Aces lost, they only did by three, and the good news is this is only the first game of what will likely be a wholly exciting series.
The Chicago vs Connecticut Semi-Final is a daunting matchup on paper, despite Chicago’s 4-0 record (only 4.5 margin of win in those games) vs the Sun in the regular season. Pitting MVP’s & All- Stars against each other in almost every matchup on the floor, everyone anticipated this series going the distance. Despite a historic evening from Candice Parker, Connecticut was able to steal home court advantage in Game 1, winning 68-63 and now find themselves two games away from advancing to the WNBA Finals for the fourth time in franchise history, still seeking their first elusive title.
A low scoring game that felt every bit a playoff battle between two familiar squads, Connecticut was able to capitalize on the Sky’s mistakes by outsourcing them 20-10 in points off turnovers and also outrebounded the Sky 47-36. Four players scored in double digits for the Sun, led by Bonner (15 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists) who has been on a tear as of late. She has been a spark plug for the Sun; a fiery leader on court who is not afraid to be vocal and step up in clutch situations. But she had plenty of help from Connecticut’, as Alyssa Thomas (12 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists) & Jonquel Jones (12 points, 9 rebounds) both had incredibly well rounded performances on the way to their victory.
For the Sky, Candice Parker continued to show why she is one of the greatest to play the game, becoming the first player in WNBA history to stuff the stats with 15+ points, 15+ rebounds, 5 blocks, and 5 assists. Parker was able to amass 19 points, 18 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals, and 4 blocks for good measure. Truly astounding numbers from the 13 year veteran, especially considering who she went up against and the games J. Jones, Thomas, & B. Jones had as well. Chicago, last year’s reining Champion, scored their lowest point total of the season at 63, well below the 86 they had averaged through the playoffs so far. Quigley, Vandersloot, & Azurá Stevens had uncharacteristically poor shooting nights, combining to hit just 6-25 as a group. That will certainly need to improve to help Parker, K. Copper (13 points, 3 rebounds) & E. Meesseman (10 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists) with the offensive load and get their scoring back closer to its norm. Sky will look to clean up their mistakes and get back to more free flowing basketball where they can run the floor and get more easy looks in transition. But this game featured a whopping 15 lead changes and 9 ties, an indication that we are in for a battle in what we are all hoping will be a 5 game series between two juggernauts.
(3) Connecticut Sun vs. (6) Dallas Wings – Game Three
After splitting the first two games in decisive fashion, all bets were off coming into Wednesday’s Game Three in Dallas. As if playing on the road in an elimination game wasn’t pressure enough for the Sun, head coach Curt Miller announced earlier in the day that the team hadn’t had practice time since Sunday due to travel complications. To make things even more challenging for the Sun from a tactical standpoint, Arike Ogunbowale was also available to play for the first time in the series. It would’ve been easy to write off the Sun, who trailed by four after the first quarter and were down most of the first half, but they were always able to keep the Wings within striking distance until they found their groove. Dallas, hosting its first ever home playoff game, fought for the lead throughout the first half and was led at halftime by Marina Mabrey with 12. But a DeWanna Bonner three with two seconds before the half would tie things at 34, and that momentum foreshadowed the energy the Sun would show in a stellar third quarter, during which Connecticut outscored Dallas 23-12. Led by Bonner, Alyssa Thomas, and some fantastic defense, the Sun were able to go on a 15-4 run in the third quarter and apply enough pressure and scoring to pull away with a comfortable lead over Dallas.
(4) Seattle Storm vs. (5) Washington Mystics – Game Two
Nearly everyone predicted this series to go the distance. No way the Washington Mystics weren’t going to take one in Seattle and force a series-deciding Game Three back home. Well, no one told Seattle. The Seattle Storm came out with perhaps their most complete effort of the season at the most important time of the season, beating the Mystics 97-84 to complete the series sweep 2-0.
One could look at any number of factors to understand how and why this happened, including the Storm’s five starters all scoring in double figures, their 40-26 points in the paint advantage, or the innumerable runs the Storm went on. Plus, Sue Bird put on one of the greatest playoff game performances of her storied career, complete with an 18-point, 10-assist double-double and stroking four threes in the process. But the most telling stat is—against the league’s best defense—the Seattle Storm had an offensive rating of 138.6, meaning they scored nearly 139 points per 100 possessions. For reference, the highest rated team of all time (which is ironically the 2019 Washington Mystics) had an offensive rating of 112.9 for that season. The best offensive rating this year? The Las Vegas Aces at 109.6. So yeah, this was an incredibly historic performance, even if it was just one game. The Storm dominated from start to finish, banishing the Mystics to the realm of offseason sorrows, and moved on to face the top-seeded Aces in a showdown of two MVP candidates.
(3) Connecticut Sun vs. (6) Dallas Wings – Game Two
After winning Game One by a commanding 25-point margin, the script to this game was supposed to be simple for Connecticut, right? The Sun would play Game Two at home and follow the recipe that led them to victory in Game One, exerting their size and depth to overwhelm Dallas and advance to the semifinals in two straightforward games. WRONG! The Wings played like their season was on the line and flipped the script on the Sun, leading buzzer to buzzer to a 89-79 final score that seems closer than the game felt. After three quarters, the Wings led 76-47. Connecticut had no answer for Kayla Thornton (20 points, five rebounds, and four assists) and Teaira McCowan (17 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists), who played arguably their best games of the season in this win-or-go-home matchup for the Wings.
For the Sun, they will look for answers quickly if they hope to keep their championship aspirations alive. It’s challenging to be down 30 at the end of the third quarter, but they have to look at the bright side of cutting 20 points off that lead in the second half to make the final score more respectable. Jonquel Jones and Brionna Jones both scored 20, but the difference was at the three-point line as the Wings connected on seven more three-pointers than the Sun. Now both teams head back to Dallas for a winner-take-all game to see who will advance in the WNBA playoffs.
Let’s get one thing straight, Las Vegas is LOADED! The Aces took care of business by closing out a pesky and unrelenting Phoenix Mercury team with a final score of 117-80. The Aces had a historic night on offense, setting records for three-pointers made in a game (23), consecutive field goals made in a playoff game (10), and most three-pointers in a half of a playoff game (11). Chelsea Gray had a jaw dropping evening, hitting 7-of-8 three-point attempts on the evening and dishing out eight assists. Gray, who scored 27 points, led six Aces players in double figures, with Kelsey Plum (22), A’ja Wilson (17), Jackie Young (15), Riquna Williams (11), and Kierstan Bell (11) all contributing to the record setting performance. The win advanced the Aces to the semifinals where they will face the fourth-seeded Seattle Storm. This game was another reminder of why Las Vegas is the number one seed, and the Aces finishing in the minimum two games will allow them to rest before meeting the Storm.
For Phoenix, this matchup concluded a year that seemed more like a script from a movie than a WNBA season. This year has been unprecedented, and I could spend all day talking about the unfair hand the Mercury were dealt, but I’ll give it to this team for continuing to play with heart and fire. In Game One, Shey Peddy suffered a right Achilles tendon rupture, so the Mercury were already set back to begin the second game. Surprisingly, they were trailing only 34-30 at the end of the first quarter and keeping pace with the Aces. It’s no surprise that the wheels fell off the Mercury wagon in the second quarter, during which they were outscored 15 and never were capable of getting within reach of the Aces again. There’s no telling what the offseason holds for this team, but the Mercury made a fan out of me for going through everything they did and still playing inspiring basketball.
After New York rattled off 13 straight points to snag an improbable Game One victory on the road, all the pressure was squarely on the shoulders of the defending champs. On Saturday morning (an 11 a.m. local time start), Chicago reminded everyone why it’s still the team to beat. By the time the 100-62 blowout was complete, the Sky had set a whole bunch of postseason records .
Kahleah Copper, following an injury scare the day before, paced Chicago with 20 points. Copper was only one of five Sky players who cracked double figures during the matchup. The Sky’s dominant effort started early, with a 31-10 first quarter advantage. All afternoon long, the Sky were the more physical team, creating chaos with hard blitzes and snatching seemingly all the fifty-fifty balls. Their 45-28 rebounding advantage and 19-10 turnover edge led to an extra 18 field goal attempts, and they made the most of those additional opportunities, converting 51.3 percent of their shots from the floor.
While the Liberty were able to limit turnovers, hit threes, and get on the glass during Game One, they faltered in all these areas during the matinee game on Saturday. Still, all is not lost for New York. With the split in hand, the two teams now head to Brooklyn for a winner-take-all matchup on Tuesday night. It’ll be the Liberty’s first home playoff game since their move to the Barclays Center, so they’ll hope the friendly crowd can help them to match the Sky’s energy and intensity.
If you read Alyssa Thomas’ The Players’ Tribune article this week, or watched any WNBA over the last several seasons, you knew the Connecticut Sun were coming into these playoffs hungry for a title after getting so close in years past. The Sun have a successful core group of players, and they just completed a regular season where they finished one game behind the Las Vegas Aces and Chicago Sky for the best record in the league. Game 1 was closer than expected after the first quarter, thanks to a heroic heave by Satou Sabally, but the Sun proved why they should be considered favorites, prevailing over the Wings 93-68.
It’s not all doom-and-gloom for Dallas, though—I actually have them stealing a game in this series, due in large part to the relentless play of Marina Mabrey and Teaira McCowan over the last several weeks. However, Connecticut’s size and physicality proved to be the difference in Game 1. Jonquel Jones looked every bit her MVP-self, going off for 19 points and eight boards, with DeWanna Bonner and DiJonai Carrington adding 12 and 13 points, respectively, and Thomas showing her appetite for winning by dropping 15 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists. Making Dawn Staley proud, two former Gamecocks Allisha Gray (17 points) and Tyasha Harris (13 points) led Dallas in scoring, but the Wings will need to limit Connecticut on the boards (35-28, advantage Sun) and cut back on their turnovers (17-10, advantage Sun) if they hope to bring this series back to Dallas. Dallas still has the moxie and firepower to make this series interesting, but the Sun seem destined for a deep run and have their eyes set on winning the title.
In our playoff preview, the Winsidr team laid out every stat signaling how close a series this would be, and Game 1 certainly lived up to expectations. If the Connecticut-Dallas matchup felt like it was over early on, this game had you on the edge of your seat for 40 minutes. Game 1 between the Storm and Mystics featured 15 lead changes, 11 ties, peak EDD vs Stewie, and plenty of fireworks, as Seattle pulled out the narrow 86-83 win to protect their home court advantage. Breanna Stewart’s greatness was on display once again with 23 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists, but every bit of it was necessary to counter Elena Delle Donne, who dazzled with 26 points on 11-of-17 shooting, three rebounds, and five assists.
Washington jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead on the back of Ariel Atkins shooting, but they would never see that lead balloon any further, as the Storm finally found their groove and returned the favor with a 6-0 run of their own. In fact, the Mystics were tied or leading at the end of every quarter in Game 1, but were outscored by four in the fourth after Jewell Loyd’s offensive eruption. Coming into the fourth quarter, the Mystics’ guards had been effective at containing Loyd, holding her to just four points on 0-of-5 shooting after three quarters. But Loyd wouldn’t stay cold much longer, scoring 12 of Seattle’s final 14 points and sparking a 14-6 run to help the Storm escape with the victory.
While no single stat on her line may jump out, Gabby Williams left her imprint on every aspect of the game with 12 points, three steals, six assists, and seven rebounds. Coach Quinn mentioned Gabby’s potential to be a gamechanger in the series, knowing that Alysha Clark’s defensive capabilities and knowledge of the Storm’s schemes would largely affect Sue Bird. Clark was a pest for Storm guards all night on defense, but offensively scored just two points to go along with 16 from both Natasha Cloud and Atkins. Playing in her first ever WNBA playoff game, Shakira Austin continued on her radiant rookie campaign by scoring 12 points to go along with seven boards and a block.
This wasn’t necessarily supposed to be a close series. Yes, outside of the first game in the regular season series, the margin of victory for the two teams was close this season, but this is the Chicago Sky we are talking about. These are the defending champions; the team with the depth, experience, and balanced attack that is arguably the favorite to repeat. However, none of that mattered to the New York Liberty on Wednesday night. After needing a couple victories over the Atlanta Dream to clinch a spot, the Liberty came into Chicago knowing they were underdogs, but they didn’t care. They needed a perfect or near-flawless performance for 40 minutes to pilfer Game One and take home-court advantage. Well, they did just that. The Liberty went on a 13-0 run to end the game and won 98-91 to take a 1-0 series lead.
The Liberty’s plan? Take the crowd out early, spread the floor to prevent the aggressive Chicago defense, and hit from three. The Liberty accomplished all three. They started the game by keeping things very close and going into halftime up three, leaving the increasingly growing crowd in a nervous stupor. The Liberty hit from three early and often, spreading their offensive attack out so the Sky couldn’t trap them. Seven different Liberty players hit a three, including three each from Sabrina Ionescu and Stefanie Dolson. What they didn’t plan for was an otherworldly pass from French sensation Marine Johannès to Natasha Howard for a bucket late in the fourth quarter. “It kind of reminded me of the Sue Bird pass,” Howard remarked after the game. The world was stunned, but Chicago looked even more bewildered as New York rode the 13-0 run to shock the Sky in Game One.
Another series, another expected blowout. The top-seeded Las Vegas Aces hosted the Phoenix Mercury in a series that also wasn’t expected to be that tightly contested. For all the adversity Phoenix has dealt with this season, what hope could the Mercury hold? Many predicted this series to be over after two games, so the 16-point spread for the Aces in Game One—even without vital veteran Dearica Hamby (out with an injury)—shouldn’t have been a surprise to anyone watching.
That’s not exactly what happened. The Las Vegas Aces did win 79-63 to take a 1-0 series lead, but the game was much closer than the score would indicate. Credit the Mercury and head coach Vanessa Nygaard for developing a structurally impressive game plan to stop the Aces’ high-powered offensive attack. Defensive anchor Brianna Turner made life miserable for former-MVP A’ja Wilson, making Wilson look mortal all game long. Wilson finished with eight points on 2-11 shooting. The Aces only made 32.1 percent of their three pointers, down 4.0 percent from their season-long average. Credit Mercury players for passionately keeping this game close. Phoenix saw significant contributions from Diamond DeShields, who tallied 18 points, as well as Sophie Cunningham and Megan Gustafson, racking up 12 points each. The game was a two-possession game with just under seven minutes to go in the fourth quarter. The Mercury have heart, but the Aces remembered why they are the number one seed, going on a 28-13 run to close the game and put away the Mercury. Kelsey Plum had a huge game with 22 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young also put up impressive performances, securing 17 and 16 points, respectively.
Unless otherwise noted, stats courtesy of WNBA Stats.
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Our site uses cookies. Learn more about our use of cookies: cookie policy