AP Recap

<p>LAS VEGAS (AP) — A’ja Wilson scored 29 points on Sunday night to help the No. 2 seed Las Vegas Aces beat the seventh-seeded Seattle Storm 102-77 in Game 1 of their best-of-three first-round playoff series.</p>
<p>Las Vegas closed the season with 16 consecutive wins, tying the 2014 Phoenix Mercury for the second-longest regular-season win streak in WNBA history. Las Vegas can advance to the semifinals with a win in Game 2 on Tuesday in Seattle.</p>
<p>Jackie Young had 18 points, seven assists, five rebounds and four steals for the Aces. Jewell Loyd scored 14 points, Dana Evans 13 and NaLyssa Smith had 11 points and nine rebounds.</p>
<p>Gabby Williams led the Storm with 16 points and Dominique Malonga had 12 points and 11 rebounds. Skylar Diggins also scored 12 points and Nneka Ogwumike added 11.</p>
<p>Loyd, who spent her first 10 seasons with Seattle and was <span class="LinkEnhancement"><a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/plum-loyd-aces-storm-sparks-57f71fc03b25a5687504b3a74a3dcc18" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA">traded to the Aces in January</a></span>, scored seven points and Wilson added six an in a 17-7 opening run and Las Vegas never trailed. Chelsea Gray hit a 3-pointer that made it a 12-point lead late in the first quarter.</p>
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<p>Erica Wheeler hit a 3-pointer about a minute into the second quarter that trimmed the Storm’s deficit to 22-17 but Evans hit a 3 and then a short jumper to cap a 9-0 spurt that made it a 14-point lead with 5:56 left in the first half and the Aces led by double figures the rest of the way.</p>
<p>The Aces shot 51% (36 of 71) from the field, hit 14 of 29 (48%) from 3-point range and had 23 assists.</p>
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Game Recap: Seattle Storm vs. Las Vegas Aces (First Round, Game 1)

<p>PHOENIX (AP) — Natasha Cloud scored 23 points, Breanna Stewart added 18 before hurting her knee in overtime and the New York Liberty beat the Phoenix Mercury 76-69 on Sunday in Game 1 of their best-of-three first-round playoff series.</p>
<p>New York will advance to the semifinals with a win in Game 2 on Wednesday in New York.</p>
<p>Stewart fell to the the ground and grabbed at her left knee after making a layup with 3:01 to play in overtime. She stayed in the game and missed the free throw, trying to play through the injury. She left the game about a minute later and didn’t return.</p>
<p>New York coach Sandy Brondello had no update on Stewart’s injury after the game. The New York star had a bone bruise in her other knee in late July that forced her to miss about a month of the season.</p>
<p>Kahleah Copper led the Mercury with 15 points and Alyssa Thomas had 14 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. DeWanna Bonner added 12 points.</p>
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<p>Cloud, who played in Phoenix last season, made back-to-back layups to give the Liberty a two-point lead with 4:17 left in the fourth quarter. Copper answered with two free throws and, after a turnover by Sabrina Ionescu, Thomas dropped a no-look pass to Copper for a wide-open layup that gave the Mercury a 65-63 lead with 1:44 remaining.</p>
<p>Stewart then made a tough basket in the lane 13 seconds later that eventually forced overtime.</p>
<p>The Liberty, who averaged 13.8 turnovers in the regular season, finished with 20 turnovers — one shy of their season high — which included 14 after halftime.</p>
<p>The Mercury made 25 of 77 (33%) from the field and shot 23% (6 of 26) from 3-point range.</p>
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Game Recap: New York Liberty vs. Phoenix Mercury (First Round, Game 1)

<p>COLLEGE PARK, Ga. (AP) — Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard scored 20 points apiece to help the Atlanta Dream beat the Indiana Fever 80-68 on Sunday in Game 1 of the best-of-three first-round playoff series.</p>
<p>Naz Hillmon, who was the AP Sixth Person of the Year, added 16 points and nine rebounds for the third-seeded Dream. Atlanta can advance to the semifinals with a win in Game 2 on Tuesday in Indianapolis.</p>
<p>Brionna Jones made a tiebreaking layup and Gray hit a pull-up jumper before Howard hit a 3-pointer that gave Atlanta a 47-40 lead almost four minutes into the second half and the Fever trailed the rest of the way.</p>
<p>Kelsey Mitchell led No. 7 seed Indiana with 27 points. Odyssey Sims scored 10 points and Aliyah Boston grabbed 12 rebounds to go with eight points and five assists. The Fever were missing Caitlin Clark, who is sidelined for the playoffs with a groin injury she suffered in the middle of July.</p>
<p>Indiana was also missing Sophie Cunningham (knee), Aari McDonald (foot) and Sydney Colson (knee).</p>
<p>Mitchell made a free throw that cut Indiana’s deficit to 10 points with 3:32 left in the fourth quarter but Hillmon, who scored 14 second-half points, answered with a three-point play and Atlanta led by double figures there on.</p>
<p>The Dream, under first-year coach Karl Smesko, doubled their win total from last year, shattered the club record for wins in a season (30) and finished with their highest win percentage (.682) in franchise history.</p>
<p>Mitchell hit a fast-break 3-pointer to cap a 9-0 run that gave Indiana a 15-6 lead with 4:55 left in the first quarter.</p>


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Game Recap: Indiana Fever vs. Atlanta Dream (First Round, Game 1)

<p>MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Napheesa Collier scored 20 points to lead five players in double figures and the Minnesota Lynx breezed to a 101-72 victory over the Golden State Valkyries on Sunday in Game 1 of the best-of-three first-round WNBA series.</p>
<p>Collier hit 7 of 11 shots with a 3-pointer and all five of her free throws, adding six rebounds.</p>
<p>Natisha Hiedeman made two 3-pointers and scored 18 for the Lynx, while Kayla McBride added 17. Jessica Shepard had 12 points and eight rebounds and Courtney Williams pitched in with 11 points and four steals.</p>
<p>Veronica Burton and Cecilia Zandalasini both scored 14 to lead Golden State. Burton added seven assists and three steals but also had seven of the Valkyries’ 16 turnovers. Janelle Salaün had 13 points and eight rebounds and Temi Fágbénlé scored 12 before fouling out.</p>
<p>Burton hit two 3-pointers for Golden State in an 11-4 run to start the game and the Valkyries led 28-21 after one quarter.</p>
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<p>Alanna Smith hit a 3-pointer with 8:47 left in the third quarter for a 52-42 advantage and Minnesota led by double digits the rest of the way. DiJonai Carrington sank two 3-pointers and Williams hit one in the final 70 seconds as the Lynx took a 79-58 lead into the final period.</p>
<p>The Valkyries are still looking for their first win over the Lynx in their first year in the league after losing all four regular-season matchups — three by double digits.</p>
<p>Minnesota’s 34-10 record led the league. Golden State will host Game 2 on Wednesday.</p>
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LatestAP Recap

Game Recap: Seattle Storm vs. Las Vegas Aces (First Round, Game 1)

Game Recap: New York Liberty vs. Phoenix Mercury (First Round, Game 1)

Game Recap: Indiana Fever vs. Atlanta Dream (First Round, Game 1)

Game Recap: Golden State Valkyries vs. Minnesota Lynx (First Round, Game 1)