Connecticut’s Alyssa Thomas, shown last week against Chicago, had 19 points and 11 rebounds in Sunday’s loss to Las Vegas in game 1 of the WNBA finals.
It was difficult for both teams in Sunday’s WNBA finals to put the basketball through the hoop. The Connecticut Sun and Las Vegas Aces both played physical defense in the paint with few, if any, easy shots allowed up into the air.
Still, MVP A’ja Wilson and teammate Chelsea Gray found a way.
Wilson was all over the floor with a game-high 24 points, a team-high 11 rebounds and four blocks while Gray continued her shooting excellence this posteason with 21 points as Las Vegas beat Connecticut, 67-64, before an arena record crowd of 10, 135 to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-5 series.
Game two is Tuesday night at 9 p.m. in Las Vegas on ESPN.
Connecticut’s Alyssa Thomas had her best shooting night of the 2022 playoffs with a team-high 19 points along with a team-leading 11 rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocks. Jonquel Jones had 15 points and nine rebounds while Brionna Jones added 12 points.
The Sun led by as many as eight points in the third quarter only to see Las Vegas take control in the fourth quarter. The Aces turned a one-point lead with 5:17 remaining into an eight-point advantage with 2:41 left. The Sun had a chance to tie with a successful three-point shot in the final 13 seconds but it wasn’t to be.
“Certainly disappointed for our locker room with the loss, knowing that we did so much that we wanted to accomplish defensively and got the game, the style of play that we were hoping for,” Sun head coach and general manager Curt Miller said.
Miller said the difference in his eyes was Las Vegas’ ability to get to the foul line. The Aces were 16-of-19 from the charity stripe while the Sun were 3-of-5.
“We struggled to get to the foul line and any kind of offensive rhythm there in the second half, and that’s a credit to their defense,” Miller said. “But you know, really pleased with holding that high-powered offense down and got the style of play we wanted.”
Las Vegas’ 67 points was their lowest offensive output of the 2022 playoffs. The Aces also held the Sun to their lowest output of the 2022 playoffs, too, with the Sun scoring 64.
“So, we are encouraged but I’m disappointed that it didn’t equate to a win,” he said.
Grey has been tough to stop throughout the playoffs, scoring at least 20 points in six of seven games this September. She had six points in the pivotal third quarter.
After Jonquel Jones scored on a nice inside feed from Thomas, Gray had a jumper to cut the Sun lead to four. Thomas extended the lead to six on a nice reverse layup over Kiah Stokes but Gray hit another fallaway jumper to again cut the lead to four.
It started a 9-2 run by the Aces that put Las Vegas back in front for good.
“She’s huge. She’s huge for us,” Wilson said of Gray. “On both ends of the basketball, Chelsea is locked in, ready to go, and when you have your point guard that locked in, you have to choice but to do the same and just follow behind her.”
Tied at 53-53, it was Wilson who pulled down an offensive rebound after she missed and went right back to the rim for two points and a 55-53 advantage after three quarter.
“It’s a want. It’s a want,” she said.”It’s that extra effort. We’re at a point in the season where we have to give it our all, no matter what. Even if you think you’re not there, we still have to push through that wall.
“We have still dig deep and be like I have to secure this basketball, not only for myself and my defender not getting it, but for my team. That’s more possessions for them and vice versa,” Wilson said.
The Sun cut the lead to one, 59-58, on a Natisha Hiedeman three-point shot from the corner with 5:17 remaining but Las Vegas responded when Kelsey Plum hit her first shot of the game, a three-point shot with 4:29 left that ended an 0-for-8 shooting performance from the floor.
Gray extended the lead when she scored over the outstretched arms of Thomas with 3:53 remaining before Jackie Young hit a jumper with 2:41 left in the game to give the Aces an eight-point lead, 66-58.
Leading by seven, Thomas had two steals that led to two breakaway layups in the final 1:26 to cut the lead to three. Connecticut had the ball with 13 seconds left and needing a three-point shot to tie but the Aces’ defense was up to the task.
The Sun were not rattled.
“I think, you know, we just have to be a little bit more aware of the shot clock,” Jonquel Jones said. “I think we were in positions where we could make plays later on but we just weren’t as aware of that. That’s an easy fix.
“Ultimately, I’m happy with the game that we played and we gave ourselves a good opportunity to come out there with a win, and it just didn’t go our way. But we are excited about Game 2,” she said.
NOTES: The Sun held Las Vegas to nine points in the second quarter, tying a WNBA finals record for fewest points in the finals. … It was Connecticut’s first game 1 loss of this year’s posteason. The Sun won game one against Dallas in the first round and stole game one from Chicago in the semifinals. … Las Vegas won their first-ever WNBA finals game. The Aces were swept by Seattle in 2020.
2022 WNBA finals
Sunday, Sept. 11
Las Vegas 67, Connecticut 64, Las Vegas leads series, 1-0
Tuesday, Sept. 13
Game 2: Connecticut at Las Vegas, 9 p.m. (ESPN)
Thursday, Sept. 15
Game 3: Las Vegas at Connecticut, 9 p.m. (ESPN)
Sunday, Sept. 18
Game 4: Las Vegas at Connecticut, 4 p.m. (ESPN), if necessary
Tuesday, Sept. 20
Game 5: Connecticut at Las Vegas, 9 p.m. (ESPN), if necessary
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