Instant Takeaways: A’ja Wilson, Aces End Storm’s Season in Down-to-the-Wire Game 3
Jackie Young cleaned up A’ja Wilson’s miss and scored to give the Las Vegas Aces a one-point lead with 12.4 seconds left, and the Seattle Storm saw their season come to an end following a 74-73 loss in a winner-take-all first-round playoff game on Thursday, Sept. 18, at Michelob Ultra Arena.
Erica Wheeler, who put the Storm up by one just seven seconds earlier, missed a would-be game-winning jumpshot just before the buzzer. After a scramble for the loose ball, the buzzer sounded before Gabby Williams could get the second attempt off her fingertips.
Following a 25-point win in Game 1, the Aces looked like they could cruise to the semifinals via their long, now-broken win streak. The series proved to be anything but a route by the end of Game 3. At the end, however, it will be Las Vegas that faces the Indiana Fever in the second round.
Here’s what we learned from the Storm’s season-ending loss to the Aces on Thursday.
YEAHHHHH, JACKIE!!!!!!@JackieYoung3 // #RaiseTheStakes pic.twitter.com/RTw2AVMWSw— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) September 19, 2025
An underwhelming season? It’s complicated
After the Game 1 loss, all signs pointed to the Storm heading into the offseason with another hugely disappointing playoff showing hanging over their heads. Las Vegas swept Seattle in the first round in 2024, and history appeared to be repeating itself for a squad that clearly has enough talent to be a title contender.
But that’s not how it shook out. The Storm overcame a 14-point deficit in Game 2, with unsung heroes Dominique Malonga and Wheeler making critical plays down the stretch. They hung around all through Game 3 and were just one play away from a monstrous upset.
“I just wanted it so bad for this group,” Storm head coach Noelle Quinn said after the game. “They worked hard. That’s the competitor in me … They’re so committed to each other and what we wanted to do this year. We had a tough August, but it didn’t show in September. The fight and the resiliency they had, that was my emotion for them [after the game].”
Of course, a first-round playoff exit is disappointing no matter how you cut it — especially with the roster the Storm had. A franchise as storied as Seattle expects to compete for a WNBA championship every year. This will now be the fifth-straight season the Storm haven’t reached the finals, their longest stretch since 2011-17.
Additionally, it’s easy to look at all the chances the team missed to earn a higher playoff seed than seventh (most notably the six-game losing streak to start August), especially when a fifth-seeded berth in 2024 was already deemed underwhelming. Seattle squeezed into the postseason.
Regardless of the circumstances, many of the weaknesses the Storm showed in the regular season weren’t present in Games 2 and 3. They didn’t allow small mistakes to spiral into larger ones, played as good of defense as they could on arguably the league’s best player and nearly knocked off a team that entered the postseason having won 16 straight games.
There could have been two storylines of defeat for the Storm in the series, and they fought to make it a respectable one.
“Nobody expected us to be in a Game 3 with the Aces at all,” Quinn added, “except for the Seattle Storm and everybody who was in that locker room. Because of that, we were able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that you guys thought.”
The @LVAces defeat the Seattle Storm, 74–73, and advance to the Semi-Finals of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs presented by @Google 👏
A’ja Wilson – 38 PTS (ties playoff career-high) | 5 REB | 3 STL
Jackie Young – 14 PTS | 4 STL
With the win, Becky Hammon passes Van Chancellor and John… pic.twitter.com/IzPo6YpQT3— WNBA (@WNBA) September 19, 2025
Storm lose advantage in second quarter
Seattle led by five at the end of the opening quarter, but that lead evaporated quickly after they went 2 for 13 from the field in the second period. Las Vegas’ defense tightened up, thwarting the easy buckets the Storm were getting in the first quarter.
The second quarter was A’ja Wilson’s. She fueled the Aces’ defense and directly challenged the Storm’s interior defenders in one-on-one post situations. More often than not, Wilson won.
The Storm were outscored 19-7 in the second quarter, allowing the Aces to take a 33-26 lead into the locker room at halftime. Wilson led Las Vegas with 13 first-half points, while Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young combined for 16.
Offensively, Seattle was balanced but inefficient (9 for 31 in the first half). Erica Wheeler, in contrast to Game 2, paced the Storm early with seven points.
Wilson takes over, Young finishes it
Few players in the WNBA can take over a game like Wilson, who finished with a game-high 38 points (25 in the second half). The Storm halted Wilson in the second half of Game 2, holding her to just five points in the final two quarters to fuel their unlikely comeback. Game 3 was the complete opposite.
Wilson, Gray and Young were the entire Aces’ offense, as former Storm star Jewell Lloyd was the next-closest scorer on the Las Vegas roster with just four. That didn’t matter.
A huge third quarter by Wilson kept the Aces in front 52-48 at the end of the third quarter, as nothing Quinn tried could actually limit Wilson’s contributions. She had another 11 points in the final period to help Las Vegas not lose its dwindling lead.
In addition to her scoring, Wilson totaled five rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks.
Young was scoreless for the first 6.5 minutes of the final period. She scored six of the Aces’ final 10 points, including the game winner, to finish with 14 points and four steals.
Wheeler and Nneka Ogwumike led the Storm with 16 points, and the latter added nine rebounds. Skylar Diggins was the only other Seattle with player in double figures with 13 points, six assists and three steals.
Defensive slog
In contrast to the first two games, where the Storm and Aces combined for 179 and 169 points, there was little fluid offense for either team in Game 3. It was clear the contest was going to come down to which team could string together the final, most important run.
“For the most part, thinking back on the game, it felt like just this heavyweight battle,” Quinn said.
Both teams shot below 46 percent from the field and combined for 31 turnovers. The Storm played far from a clean game on offense, but they managed to keep pace with their energy. For the second straight game, Seattle won the rebounding battle — an area they have seldom been victorious this season.
The Storm got points from everyone, but not enough. The Aces relied on a key trio, which proved to be just one step ahead.
Next: An offseason of unknowns
Around 85 percent of the WNBA will be free agents this offseason, pending the renegotiated CBA that is yet to be agreed upon by the players and the league. The Storm have just four players under contract for the 2026 season (Lexie Brown, Jordan Horston, Nika Mühl and Malonga) and have two first-round picks.
Seattle included a first-rounder in the Brittney Sykes trade because they thought it would be what would push them over the edge to winning a championship this season. Now, the future of the Storm’s current nucleus is almost completely unknown.
Will Ogwumike and Diggins return for Years 15 and 11, respectively? If they do, will Seattle even try to bring them back? What happens to Williams, Sykes, Wheeler and Ezi Magbegor?
These questions likely won’t be answered for some time. Considering the veteran presence on this 2025 roster and the streak of playoff misfortune, it seems like a complete reset of the roster and coaching staff (with an emphasis on building around Malonga and Horston) could be on the horizon.
The Storm still have a pair of first-round picks, which means even more youth will enter the fray next season. Where the team gets its veteran leadership, however, will be the big question mark.
It all starts with the CBA and the front office’s decisions on what direction they want to go in. For now, it will be one of the most unnerving offseasons for Storm fans in franchise history.
