The Aces Cruised To A Home Win Over The Sun To Take A 2-0 Lead In The 2022 WNBA Finals

Game 2 of the 2022 WNBA Finals brought sky-high stakes on Tuesday evening. The Connecticut Sun aimed to even the series after losing Game 1 on the road, while the Las Vegas Aces eyed a stranglehold on the series with the potential for another home win. While it wasn’t a complete onslaught, the Aces led for the lion’s share of the evening, eventually finishing off a 85-71 victory to climb within one win of a title.

In the early going, there was an amusing moment when the Aces seemingly forgot which basket to defend. That allowed the Sun to make a wide-open layup to open the evening, and it was a back-and-forth affair in the first quarter. The Aces took control with a late 9-1 run to end the quarter, grabbing a 23-15 lead behind 10-of-18 shooting and only one turnover.

Las Vegas built its lead to 14 points, with stars at the forefront. Reigning WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum were quickly able to compile double figures in scoring, and the Aces were able to play off the home crowd in Las Vegas.

Connecticut did have its best run of the evening down the stretch of the first half with the help of repeated defensive stops. The Sun used a 12-4 spurt to slash the deficit back to six, though a beautiful set from the Aces beat the buzzer and gave the home team an eight-point edge at halftime.

Neither team shot well from long distance before halftime, combining for a 2-of-15 mark, but Las Vegas converted nearly 52 percent of overall field goal attempts and 9-of-10 at the free throw line. Wilson was the star with 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting, and that continued a season-long theme.

The Sun started well after halftime, scoring seven straight points. That push brought Connecticut within a single possession with plenty of time remaining.

Then, Aces do-everything guard Chelsea Gray exited the game with an apparent ankle injury, signaling potential trouble for Las Vegas. However, the Aces immediately stretched the lead back to double figures before Gray was able to return, pouring cold water on Connecticut’s optimism.

Las Vegas then scored nine consecutive points between the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth quarter, putting space between the two teams on the scoreboard. The Aces led by a 72-54 margin, the largest spread of the series to that point, and Connecticut was in a desperate position.

In the closing period, the Aces led by as many as 20 points, and the Sun were never able to make a credible push. Wilson set a new franchise record for scoring in the WNBA Finals with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and both Gray (21 points, eight assists) and Plum (20 points, seven assists) had outstanding nights. As a team, Las Vegas enjoyed real success on both ends of the floor, and the pre-series favorites looked the part over the course of a comfortable win.

The series will continue with Game 3 on Thursday evening in Connecticut, with the Sun needing a win to avoid elimination. All hope is not lost for the Sun, but the Aces are certainly rolling, and Game 2 was a clinic in myriad ways from Las Vegas to instill further confidence in the team’s ability to close things out on the road.