Las Vegas (KSNV) — A’ja Wilson scored 38 points to tie a playoff career high, Jackie Young had a go-ahead follow shot with 12.4 seconds left and the Las Vegas Aces beat the Seattle Storm 74-73 on Thursday night to secure a spot in the WNBA semifinals.
Wilson, who had 25 points in the second half, had a layup roll off the rim with 25 seconds left and Erica Wheeler raced the other way on a 2-on-1 break with Skylar Diggins. Wheeler pulled up in the lane to sink a jumper to give Seattle a 73-72 lead with 18 seconds remaining.
Wilson missed another shot, but Young was there for the putback. After a timeout to get to midcourt, Wheeler had a good look from the free throw line that hit off the back rim and Seattle could not get off another shot before the buzzer.
Las Vegas secured its seventh consecutive semifinal appearance. The second-seeded Aces advance to play on Sunday against No. 6 Indiana, which eliminated Atlanta earlier.
Young finished with 14 points and Chelsea Gray had 12 points and eight assists for Las Vegas. Wilson, who was 14 of 26 from the field and 10 of 11 at the line, scored 30-plus points in a playoff game for the sixth time in her career — tied for the second-most in WNBA history.
The Golden Knights are always going for it, constantly willing to chase top talent in order to make a run at the Stanley Cup.
Their latest big-name acquisition, Mitch Marner, appeared on the ice Thursday morning as Vegas opened training camp.
“We haven’t had a stretch in our history where you know you’re taking a step back,” general manager Kelly McCrimmon said. “That’s not how we feel. We’re going to be pedal to the floorboard.”
The Golden Knights would be among the favorites this season even if they hadn’t acquired Marner in a sign-and-trade deal worth $96 million over eight years. But having one of the NHL’s top playmakers on the roster moves Vegas closer to the front of the contender conversation.
Two-time defending champion Florida is the 6-1 favorite at BetMGM Sportsbook and next up are Vegas and Colorado at 8-1 each.
Marner and some of his new teammates attended Monday night’s Las Vegas Raiders-Los Angeles Chargers game and were shown on the Allegiant Stadium big screen. Included were three of the top five picks from the 2015 draft — Jack Eichel (No. 2), Marner (No. 4) and Noah Hanifin (No. 5).