The Las Vegas Aces tore their way through the dominant Seattle Storm in a nail-biter of a game on Thursday night, by a score of 74-73, to set themselves up for the semifinals of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs.
The tie-breaking 38-point outburst of A’ja Wilson, the highest scoring player in the playoffs during her wide-ranging, record-setting career, and the game-winning shot by Jackie Young in the last minute of the game switched what would have been another Storm upset into an anxiety-inducing save by the defending champion.
The victory is the seventh consecutive semifinal appearance of the Aces; however, it was not without controversy, accompanied by weird lights-out antics in the arena and fiery social media controversy that has created a postseason buzz that is dominating the headlines two days later.
The First-Round Thriller
The first-round match that was billed to be one of the fiercest in recent memory was not disappointing, as the series was equalised at 1-1 after Game 2, which was a gritty 86-83 road series win by Seattle.
As the Storm struggled to keep their slim chances of being the No. 7 seed alive, and the No. 2 Aces endeavoured to prevent an embarrassing loss, the Michelob ULTRA Arena was vibrating with the electric atmosphere. Still, the fans are picking over the ruins of the mayhem of Wilson dominating, to a possible game-tying shot called off by a sudden dark, and this elimination game will be the topic of the league on September 20.
A Game Already Played: The Buzzer-Beating Havoc
The final few seconds of Game 3 will be replayed on and on and on in highlight reels and viral clips. As time ran down and the game was now tied at 73-73, Erica Wheeler of Seattle made a futile attempt at the winning shot by placing a jumper on the free-throw line with under five seconds remaining, looking at the winning basket.
However, when the ball got suspended in the air, the lights in the arena flickered and went off, leaving the court in temporary darkness. The shot went dead, and when the light came back, the last rebound shot by the Storm was beaten out, and Las Vegas was saved.
The play was reviewed by officials, but the decision was upheld as a bizarre but unreviewable technical glitch. Seattle coach Noelle Quinn lost her temper after the game and termed that as a disgrace to the integrity of the game, but Aces counterpart, Becky Hammon, dismissed it as mere playoff magic. The social media went viral as the fans were claiming that the arena staff were sabotaging them, and others proclaimed it the troll job of all troll jobs.
Key Sequence Breakdown:
- 0:05 to go: Wheeler misses on lights out.
- 0:02: Storm Nneka Ogwumike has an offensive rebound, but she is unable to find a clean look.
- Buzzer: This is the layup that Young makes to win it, assisted by Chelsea Grey.
Stars of the Show: Wilson eclipses the Grit of Storm
A’ja Wilson did not play like an MVP; she destroyed the defence of Seattle single-handedly. The 2024 Finals MVP scored 38 points on 15-of-24 shooting, including five rebounds and three steals in 38 minutes. This innate control within caused her to be double-teamed at all times, which left the floor open to threats like Grey (12 points, eight assists) and Young.
It was a defeat on the other side which glowed in the old veteran core of the Storm. In her maiden appearance in Seattle in the playoffs, Nneka Ogwumike scored 16 points and 10 rebounds, a double-double. Erica Wheeler, the sparkplug guard, was her equal with 16 points off the bench, including a game-tying three in the 3rd quarter. Skylar Diggins-Smith, who had a nagging ankle tweak, scored 12 points but could only play 22 minutes.
Top Performers
| Player | Team | PTS | REB | AST | STL | FG% | Key Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A’ja Wilson | LVA | 38 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 62.5% | Tied playoff career-high; invincible in paint. |
| Nneka Ogwumike | SEA | 16 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 53.8% | Lost cause comeback leader. |
| Jackie Young | LVA | 14 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 44.4% | Game-winner; clutch performer. |
| Erica Wheeler | SEA | 16 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 50.0% | Bench spark; misses vital FT-line jumper. |
| Chelsea Gray | LVA | 12 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 40.0% | Floor general; 5 assists in 4th Q. |
| Skylar Diggins-Smith | SEA | 12 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 37.5% | Limited by injury; playmaking available. |
Social Media Storm: Lights Out, Debates In
By the morning of September 20, the viral moments during the game had received more than 5 million views on the platforms. X (previously Twitter) was swarmed with blackout memes, dubbed by fans the Ultimate Troll Job, and arguments about officiating and coaching decisions were going on.
Top Buzzworthy Tweets:
- “Seattle lights go off when they could have won the game… This is madness”
- “Aces escape with a 74-73 win… Wilson is unstoppable with 38 pts”
- “Seattle struggled stoutly, but the Aces are pressing. Hard-earned by both”
Coaching Corner: Hammon & Quinn
Becky Hammon was calm during stress, and her substitutions neutralised Ogwumike in some instances. It also left her in history tied to coaching heroes in the victory in the postseason.
Noelle Quinn, in her third year of leadership, had hard questions to answer but stood up in defence of her squad. She said, “We left it all out there. And the heart of this group was indestructible.”
Road to the Semis: Aces vs. Fever Looms Large
Everyone is now looking forward to Game 1: Aces vs. Indiana Fever on Sunday, which is a best-of-five game that will place the power of Wilson and the emergence of Caitlin Clark head-to-head. Las Vegas comes in as the favourite, but the home-court magic of Indiana and Clark’s 28.5 PPG average will give fireworks.
The 2025 WNBA Playoffs, sponsored by Google, are still must-watch television. The lights-out debacle and the heroics of Wilson have made this Storm-Aces saga recreative of buzzer-beater drama. With the semifinals going on, it is obvious that women’s basketball is on the rise, and the hype has not yet reached its peak.