Aces get out of ‘mud,’ rally to win playoff opener vs. Storm — PHOTOS

The Seattle Storm had an answer for everything the Aces threw at them for three quarters.

Then the fourth quarter happened. And it was a reminder why the Aces are back-to-back WNBA champions.

The Aces held the Storm to two points in the fourth quarter on 0-for-12 shooting from the floor to rally for a 78-67 win in Game 1 of their first-round WNBA playoff series Sunday at Michelob Ultra Arena.

A’ja Wilson scored a game-high 21 points, grabbed eight rebounds and had five blocks on the day she became a three-time league MVP, as the Aces’ quest for a three-peat began on the right foot.

The Aces can complete the sweep in Game 2 at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at home.

“I think we saw in the first half this wasn’t going to be easy,” Wilson said. “This is the playoffs. We have to, literally, times 10 it in the playoffs.”

Tiffany Hayes came off the bench to score 20 points, one of four players who scored in double figures. Chelsea Gray contributed 16 points and seven assists.

The Aces needed every bit of that offense the way the game started.

The Storm jumped out to an 18-9 lead after the first quarter. After Gray opened the game with a 3-pointer, the Aces missed their next 10 shots. They missed 16 of their 18 attempts in the opening 10 minutes.

“We came out a step slow,” coach Becky Hammon said. “I don’t know why. Defensively and offensively, we were running in mud out there.”

The bench, led by leading Sixth Player of the Year candidate Hayes, picked up the slack. Hayes and Alysha Clark combined to go 6-for-6 from the floor in the second quarter, including three 3-pointers, to pull within 42-38 at halftime.

In pure Hammon fashion, her halftime speech was animated. No one would tip her hand as to what was said.

Whatever was said, the MVP took it to heart.

Wilson scored 15 points in the third quarter, the most she’s ever scored in a quarter in a playoff game. After going 1-for-8 in the first half, Wilson shot 8-for-13 in the second as the Aces outscored the Storm 40-25 in the final 20 minutes.

“Yeah, that first half was ugly,” Wilson said. “That’s just the way the game goes. The basketball gods have a funny way of showing me that sometimes you’ve got to get out the mud.”

Despite Wilson and her teammates’ best efforts, the Aces still found themselves down 65-64 going into the fourth quarter. That’s when they turned to their best asset — their defense.

Seattle didn’t score until point guard Skylar Diggins-Smith made two free throws with 4:07 remaining. The Aces outscored the Storm 14-2 in the frame, with all of their points coming from inside the paint.

“They punched us in the first half,” Wilson said. “In the second half, I think we just kind of figured it out. It clicked on the defensive end. We have to buckle down. There’s no ifs, ands or buts about it. That’s where we can fuel our offense.”

Here are three takeaways from the game:

1. Dominant history

The Aces’ fourth quarter put them into elite territory.

It’s just the second time in WNBA postseason history and sixth overall that a team has scored two or fewer points in a regulation quarter since the league switched from two halves to four quarters in 2006.

The Sacramento Monarchs were held to two points in the fourth quarter of Game 4 of the 2006 Finals against the Detroit Shock.

2. Visit from Mom

Hayes’ mother, Dorothy, was her coach growing up. Dorothy had also never been on a plane before in her life. She got on one to see her daughter play in a playoff game.

That was a bit of motivation that she needed. Hayes shot 8-for-12 from the floor and had five steals.

“She always used to tell me I had to always go 120 percent because she didn’t want none of the other parents saying that she was playing me because I was her daughter,” Hayes said. “I had to be 10 times as good as everybody else on the court.”

Hammon couldn’t agree more.

“She’s still playing 120 percent out there,” she said.

3. Gray comes up clutch

It looked like Gray turned back the clock to her historic playoff run during the fourth quarter.

The 2022 Finals MVP had six of the Aces’ 14 points in the fourth, but sealed the game with two consecutive turnaround jumpers to push the lead to double digits.

Series schedule

Aces lead 1-0

Game 1 — Aces 78, Storm 67

Game 2 — Tuesday, 6:30 p.m., Michelob Ultra Arena (ESPN)

Game 3* — Thursday, TBD, Climate Pledge Arena (ESPN2)

*If necessary