The Las Vegas Aces enter the playoffs in unprecedented waters, having won 16 straight games — the second longest streak in WNBA history. From a middling 14-14 mark all the way up to the No. 2 seed, the Aces gelled following a rout at the hands of Minnesota in early August. A’ja Wilson put forth yet another phenomenal season and may be on her way to claiming a fourth Most Valuable Player award. Jackie Young was the rock she’s always been for Las Vegas, and Jewell Loyd’s shift to the bench did wonders for her confidence. The Aces are primed to contend for the title.
The Seattle Storm’s route to the playoffs has been one of the most difficult to witness in WNBA history. This isn’t because the Storm don’t have capable players, it’s because they do, and for one reason or another the team couldn’t find its footing for the majority of the season. Skylar Diggins, Nneka Ogwumike, and Gabby Williams have had big moments during the 2025 campaign, but overall the team has not been consistent. Many fans are skeptical about Seattle’s postseason odds, and rightfully so. Still, I implore you to reassess the caliber of players on this team, and how when great minds come together special things happen.
Matchups to Watch For
We’re fascinated by almost every matchup in this series, specifically who guards who on the perimeter. Seattle’s trade for Brittney Sykes gave the Storm another wing who is known for locking down opponents and giving them nightmares on and off the ball. Gabby Williams is a contender for Defensive Player of the Year, and Skylar Diggins is far from a slouch on that end as well. How will this trio match up against Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray, and Jewell Loyd?
Our guess is that Seattle switches a ton, and is happy wherever the matchups land. So let’s flip it: what matchup will Las Vegas seek? Anytime Erica Wheeler is in the game, look for the Aces to put her in the action. This could be a huge series for the midrange, as Ezi Magbegor and A’ja Wilson are two of the best rim deterrents in the league. This is good news for Becky Hammon and Co. as Gray, Young, and Loyd are all prolific midrange jump shooters. How much will Williams and Sykes be able to disrupt the rhythm of this elite Aces trio?
X-factors
Owen: It may sound odd to say Chelsea Gray — a three time champion and one of the greatest guards in basketball history — is an x-factor, but that’s where we’re at in 2025. In the 2023 Finals, Gray suffered a devastating injury that robbed her of peak levels in 2024. She’s recovered in a major way this season, but it’s impossible to expect Gray to return to the stratospheric heights she reached in the 2022 and 2023 Playoffs. Still, she is everything to Las Vegas.
One of the most marked improvements Las Vegas made during its 16-game win streak was being more disruptive on-ball. Where Gray may not be as spry as she once was defensively, she’s incredibly smart at reading what is about to happen. Gray is stupendous at sliding up behind a post player and poking the ball away, reading passing lanes, or pestering guards on the perimeter. With this defensive resurgence, Vegas is creating more easy offensive possessions by generating good transition opportunities.
Similarly, Gray’s offense has become more consistent during the final third of the season. Though she is taking way fewer two-point shots than she did during her peak, she’s still knocking down nearly 50 percent of them, and seems to be finding her isolation scoring stride entering the playoffs.
If Gray can put all this together, she’s the last person Seattle wants to see with the ball in her hands late in a playoff game.
Jasmine: Erica Wheeler willed her team to the playoffs after playing out of her mind against the Golden State Valkyries in the final game of the regular season. She scored 17 points while shooting 71.0 percent from beyond the arc, along with five rebounds and two assists. Wheeler sealed the deal with a midrange clutch shot and defensive stop at the other end. Her veteran presence on the Storm this season has been steady, ready when her number is called, and all-around productive off the bench.
She’s the type of competitor that makes Storm basketball great. As we’ve seen with Las Vegas’s big three early this season, Seattle’s big three also cannot do it all. We’ve consistently seen Emerald City’s big three members have had off nights, and head coach Noelle Quinn has struggled to tap in players off the bench who can step up. The late-season acquisition of Brittney Sykes did not increase the Storm’s standing in the league, but she has contributed valuable minutes on both ends of the floor. Sykes and Wheeler will be the x-factors for the Storm in this series, especially their veteran ability to clean up mistakes, cash in on their own shots, and create opportunities for their teammates. It doesn’t hurt that these two players are aggressive defensively, which will help feed the big three’s energy and hopefully inspire their younger teammates.
The Aces bench is ranked second in the league in PPG, first in field-goal percentage, and second in rebounding. Comparatively, the Storm’s bench is second in field-goal percentage, sixth in rebounding, and fourth in PPG. While both squads are similar in productivity, the Storm have more experienced bench players who’ve managed pressured situations. If Sykes and Wheeler can be the calm and steadiness for Seattle’s big three and younger bench mates, I believe they can take on the Aces at full strength.
Bold Predictions
Jasmine: One factor to consider about this year’s Storm squad is their similar positioning as the 2021 Chicago Sky. The Sky were the sixth seed that year and ended the regular season at .500 before they went on to win the championship. Seattle could stage a similar run as Chicago, but there’s no second chances in playoff basketball once a game is lost. Every member of the team will need to be on point during their series versus the Aces or a first-round exit imminent.
Bold prediction? This series will go three games and will come down to the final minutes. I cannot write the Storm off just because they’re facing the Aces–they still have a formidable roster that could go the distance if they finely thread the needle into the postseason. However, if I had to be more daring, I’d say that Skylar Diggins and Jewell Loyd will finally give us the battle we’ve been waiting for all season. On top of that, expect Brittney Sykes to have a big 20-point+ game…she was traded to a playoff contending team to perform, and her show will be worth watching.
Owen: It’s not bold to say Aces in two, which is where I stand, so let’s go deeper. A’ja puts up a 40-piece? Definitely not out of the realm of possibility, but Seattle defends well on the interior and 40 points is extremely difficult in a playoff context. So how about this? Jackie Young will record her first ever playoff triple double in the clincher, sending Seattle packing in its own building.
Young quietly (would she do it any other way?) put forth yet another All-WNBA caliber campaign, and has logged two triple doubles in 2025 after never recording one previously. She’ll notch her third in Game 2, leading the offense and snaring just enough rebounds to achieve the feat.