Kelsey Plum scored 22 points and Chelsea Gray added 17 as the host Las Vegas Aces defeated the Phoenix Mercury 79-63 in Game 1 of their first-round WNBA playoff series on Wednesday.
Jackie Young added 16 points, Kiah Stokes had 14 rebounds and Aja Wilson added 12 rebounds for the top-seeded Aces, who will host Game 2 of the best-of-three series on Saturday night.
Diamond DeShields had 18 points and eight rebounds, Megan Gustafson and Sophie Cunningham added 12 points each and Brianna Turner pulled down 16 rebounds to lead the eighth-seeded Mercury.
The Mercury, playing without Brittney Griner, who has been in a Russian prison since February, and Diana Taurasi (quad) and Skylar Diggins-Smith (personal), lost guard Shey Peddy to a lower leg injury in the third quarter. Peddy did not return.
Plum’s 3-pointer started the third-quarter scoring and gave Las Vegas a 45-37 lead.
Las Vegas built the advantage to nine before back-to-back layups by Gustafson and Kaela Davis pulled the Mercury within 49-44. The Aces held a 51-46 lead at the end of the third quarter after each team scored just nine points in the period.
Gustafson scored the first four points of the fourth quarter to get Phoenix within a point, but Gray scored five straight points as Las Vegas extended the lead to 60-51.
Gray’s jumper pushed the gap to 66-55 with less than four minutes remaining, and the Aces pulled away.
DeShields scored seven points as the Mercury grabbed a 12-7 lead.
Young’s 3-pointer gave the Aces their first lead at 19-18, and the hosts held a 21-20 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
The lead changed hands twice at the start of the second quarter before Gray’s 3-pointer completed a 9-0 run that gave Las Vegas a 30-22 lead.
Young’s 3-pointer gave the Aces their biggest first-half lead at 35-24 before Peddy made consecutive 3-pointers and assisted on a Cunningham basket as Phoenix pulled within 42-37 at halftime.
–Field Level Media
