LAS VEGAS — After escaping Game 1 with a narrow victory due to a once-in-a-lifetime bench performance, the Las Vegas Aces knew they needed more from Jackie Young and league MVP A’ja Wilson if they were serious about raising a third championship trophy.
In response, the Aces got a banner performance from the duo that is quickly becoming the most potent the league has seen. The pair combined for 60 points to lead Las Vegas to a decisive 91-78 win in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals on Sunday to seize a 2-0 series lead over the Phoenix Mercury.
Young scored 21 of her 32 points in the third, setting the record for the most points in a WNBA Finals quarter. After a 3-of-13 performance from the field in Game 1 that Young attributed to fatigue, the All-Star guard promised coach Becky Hammon she’d have her legs back for Game 2.
“(Jackie) is a player that never wants to come out of the game,” Hammon said. “So, when she tells me she doesn’t have any legs and she pulls herself out basically, I know she’s hurting and doesn’t have anything left in the tank.
“Yesterday, I asked her how she felt and she said ‘Good, I’ll have my legs tomorrow,’ and that was pretty much it. I believed her.”
Wilson had a banner day of her own on Sunday, scoring 20 of her 28 points in the first half that included 13 points in the second quarter to help Las Vegas take control and set the tone for a dominant second-half effort.
While there are certainly more forward-facing stars in the league, Young quietly has become perhaps the most consistent guard in an era of women’s basketball when backcourt positions are being played at the highest level in league history.
“It’s a joy (playing with Jackie),” Wilson said. “Take the numbers away, I’m just so proud of her. Honestly, like, she’s a perfectionist, and when you see someone that works so hard every single day and then you get to see the hard work paying off, it’s a beautiful thing to witness.
“I’m so grateful just to be her teammate, to come to work with her every single day. I’m a pain in the ass sometimes when she’s not doing her job, because I know that it’s there. I know that Jackie Young’s there. So I try every single day to bring it out of her. To be able to witness it and live it has been a lot of fun.”
The Aces need to win two more games to clinch the first best-of-seven WNBA Finals.
Chelsea Gray (10 points, 10 assists) was the only other Aces player to score in double figures, and Wilson added a game-high 14 rebounds.
Kahleah Copper scored 23 points, Satou Sabally had 22 points and nine rebounds and Alyssa Thomas put up 10 points to pace the Mercury.
Despite getting the usual scoring consistency out of its “big three,” the most obvious observation is that Las Vegas’ depth simply overmatches Phoenix’s core. If the Mercury want any chance of making a comeback, they have to get more from their role players.
“I’m super confident in that group,” said Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts. “They’ve helped carry us all season long, right? Our big three has probably got going the most during the playoffs. This is a group that we trust. We believe in each other. We’ve got to see the ball go in a little bit to start feeling good about ourselves.”
Las Vegas stretched its lead to 17 points in the third quarter and held firm control with a 76-61 lead going into the fourth, thanks to an outburst from Young that saw the All-Star guard score 21 on a torrid 8-of-11 shooting (2-of-4 from 3) in the period. The Aces led by as many as 22 points in the final frame.
The Aces took control with a dominant second quarter, outscoring Phoenix 22-10 to bring a 46-37 lead into the locker room at halftime. Wilson led all scorers in the first half, recording 20 points on 9-of-17 shooting in addition to grabbing eight rebounds. She became the third player to score at least 20 points in the first half of a WNBA Finals game.
After Copper built on a hot first quarter by putting Phoenix ahead 33-27 with her first attempt of the second, Las Vegas broke through with a 19-4 run to close the second quarter. Wilson poured in 13 points to anchor that stretch.
The Mercury led 27-24 after a first quarter when both teams traded runs. Copper came out of the gates scorching just like she did in Game 1, leading all scorers with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting overall and 3-of-4 from 3-point range.
Phoenix opened the game on a 12-5 run, but the Aces immediately answered with a 13-4 run of their own to grab a brief first lead of the game on a Gray pull-up with 3:17 remaining in the quarter.
–Will Despart, Field Level Media
