SEATTLE — The Seattle Storm aren’t done yet. The home team overcame a double-digit deficit to beat the Las Vegas Aces 86-83 in Game 2 on Tuesday night, spoiling the Aces’ 17-game win streak and forcing a Game 3 in the first round of the playoffs.
After getting routed by the Aces in Vegas on Sunday, Seattle fared better on Tuesday with a stunning comeback. Skylar Diggins had a game-high 26 points, including five in the crucial final minutes of the game to seal the win in front of a deafening crowd at Climate Pledge Arena.
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Things stayed close in the first quarter, with Nneka Ogwumike providing most of the Storm’s offense early on. At one point halfway through the quarter, the forward had 11 of the team’s 13 points. But then A’ja Wilson and the Aces began to move, building a slight lead near the end of the half. Only a couple of stellar plays from Diggins pulled Seattle within one point heading into halftime.
The crowd went a little quiet in the third quarter as the Aces went up by as many as 14 points behind an incredible period from Jackie Young. But the Storm didn’t quit, pushing back to force the game into a decisive final minutes.
A late push from the Storm, getting within two points after 3-pointers from Skylar Diggins and Erica Wheeler, had the building shaking. Though the Aces got some points back, their lead didn’t last long, as Dominique Malonga picked up a crucial and-one to tie things up and then take the lead with 30 seconds left.
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Though the Aces had time on their side, a costly turnover gave Seattle the ball back in the final seconds. Diggins sealed the game with a jumper after running down the clock, giving Las Vegas only four seconds to tie the game, but Jewell Loyd’s 3-pointer fell short in front of her former team.
The win spoils the Aces’ 17-game win streak, which was tied for the second-longest in WNBA history. If Las Vegas had won the game, they would have tied the Los Angeles Sparks for the longest, at 18 games.
Instead, this series will move on to a Game 3 back in Vegas. The winner of that game will move on to play the winner of the series between the Atlanta Dream and Indiana Fever, after the Fever forced a Game 3 of their own at home earlier on Tuesday. The semifinal series will be a best-of-five format.
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This story will be updated.
