ESPN.com
Sep 7, 2022, 01:49 AM ET
Please visit our WNBA Finals schedule and results page for all the latest on the championship series.
The top-seeded Las Vegas Aces are headed to the WNBA Finals after eliminating the No. 4 seed Seattle Storm 3-1 on Tuesday in the 2022 WNBA playoffs.
Chelsea Gray had 31 points and 10 assists -- the first such game in WNBA playoff history, according to ESPN Stats & Information -- to lead the Aces, and A'ja Wilson added 23 points and 13 rebounds -- her second double-double in the semifinals -- in a 97-92 victory in Seattle.
Las Vegas' return to the Finals -- the Aces lost to Seattle in the 2020 championship series -- ended the legendary WNBA career of Sue Bird, who retired after four titles and 19 seasons in the league. Also in the loss, Breanna Stewart's career-high 42 points tied Angel McCoughtry for the most ever in a WNBA playoff game.
The WNBA Finals tip off Sunday, but first, the Chicago Sky host the Connecticut Sun on Thursday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN2) in a decisive Game 5 of the other semifinal series. The Sun steamrolled the defending champion 104-80 on Tuesday.
The Sun's 24-point margin of victory marked the largest win in WNBA history to force a Game 5, according to ESPN Stats & Info, and the third such win of at least 20 points. Each of the two previous teams to do that went on to win the decisive game.
The semifinals and WNBA Finals are best-of-five series. Both rounds follow a 2-2-1 format, wherein the higher seed hosts Games 1, 2 and 5 and the lower-seeded team will host Games 3 and 4.
Here's all the info you need for each semifinal matchup, including news and series-by-series analysis.
Navigate to each round: First Round | Semifinals
SEMIFINALS
(1) Las Vegas Aces defeat (4) Seattle Storm, 3-1
Game 1: Seattle 76, at Las Vegas 73
Game 2: At Las Vegas 78, Seattle 73
Game 3: Las Vegas 110, at Seattle 98, OT
Game 4: Las Vegas 97, at Seattle 92
Aces advance to Finals as Bird's career comes to close
Bird retires a Hall of Famer, but Storm point guard only made it look easy
Aces prevail in OT after wild, record-setting end to regulation
Hammon could bring Vegas its long-awaited title -- and launch a dynasty
'I can adapt': Tina Charles' journey from Phoenix to Seattle to the semifinals
Holly Rowe's Inside Look with Ezi Magbegor
The price and payoff of Kelsey Plum's lifelong obsession with winning
(3) Connecticut Sun defeats (2) Chicago Sky, 3-2
Game 1: Connecticut 68, at Chicago 63
Game 2: At Chicago 85, Connecticut 77
Game 3: Chicago 76, at Connecticut 72
Game 4: At Connecticut 104, Chicago 80
Game 5: Connecticut 72, Chicago 63
Sun force defending champion Sky to decisive Game 5
At 36, Chicago's Parker still thriving, making history
Sky on cusp of return trip to Finals after grinding out Game 3 win
Parker's vintage performance helps Sky pull even in semifinals
Jonquel's offense, CP3's supporting cast: What we're watching in Game 2
Sun prevail over Sky in Game 1 despite Candace Parker's heroics
* If necessary
Semifinals preview
Was Aces-Storm Game 3 the greatest game in WNBA playoff history?
Semifinal predictions: Our experts answer all the biggest questions
Ranking the top 25 players in the WNBA semifinals
FIRST ROUND
(1) Las Vegas Aces defeat (8) Phoenix Mercury, 2-0
Game 1: At Las Vegas 79, Phoenix 63
Game 2: At Las Vegas 117, Phoenix 80
Aces advance to semis after WNBA-record 23 3-pointers
Mercury lose Peddy, fall to Aces in Game 1
Diggins-Smith steps away from Mercury for personal reasons
(2) Chicago Sky defeat (7) New York Liberty, 2-1
Game 1: New York 98, at Chicago 91
Game 2: At Chicago 100, New York 62
Game 3: Chicago 90, at New York 72
Sky beat Liberty by WNBA playoff-record 38 to force Game 3
New York rallies, puts Chicago on ropes in Game 1 stunner
Why the WNBA is better off with New York in the playoffs
(3) Connecticut Sun vs. (6) Dallas Wings
Game 1: At Connecticut 93, Dallas 68
Game 2: Dallas 89, at Connecticut 79
Game 3: Connecticut 73, at Dallas 58
'Disciplined' Wings extend series with Game 2 road victory
Wings guard Ogunbowale to miss first-round series
Inside Look with Holly Rowe: Dallas' Isabelle Harrison
(4) Seattle Storm defeat (5) Washington Mystics, 2-0
Game 1: At Seattle 86, Washington 83
Game 2: At Seattle 97, Washington 84
Bird, 41, is oldest to record WNBA playoff double-double; Storm sweep
Clutch Loyd's huge fourth quarter rallies Storm in Game 1
Why Storm-Mystics winner could be primed for postseason run
