In the closing seconds of regulation on Friday night, after the Las Vegas Aces' 11-point lead had melted away, Chelsea Gray took a handoff from A'ja Wilson, drove to her favorite spot on the elbow and put up her patented fadeaway jumper. It floated up, hit the back of the rim and the front of the rim, then spun out, sending the game to overtime. That turned out to be the last gasp for the Aces.
They scored six points in the extra frame in an eventual 87-77 loss to the Golden State Valkyries in Game 3 of their semifinal series. The defeat cemented a three-game sweep -- the first time the Aces have been swept since 2020 -- and ended their quest for a second repeat and fourth overall championship in the last five seasons. It was fitting that they lost to the Valkyries, who were led by former assistant coach Natalie Nakase, and had Kiah Stokes starting at center and Tiffany Hayes running their bench unit.
Nakase won two titles while sitting next to Becky Hammon, while Stokes was a part of all three of the Aces' title teams before they let her walk in the offseason. Hayes was the 2024 Sixth Player of the Year in her lone season with the franchise. The trio served as a stark reminder of all the talent that has left Las Vegas in recent years and not been properly replaced.
At a certain point, you can only ask Wilson, Jackie Young and Gray to do so much. The Aces reached that limit against the Valkyries. Wilson was spectacular again this season, winning her third consecutive MVP and becoming the first player in league history to win the award five times.
She averaged 26.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.9 blocks on 52.7/40.4/86.4 shooting splits. Her 26.2 points per game were the second-highest single-season scoring average ever -- behind only her own 26.9 points in 2024 -- and gave her a third consecutive scoring title. She also led the league in blocks for the fifth consecutive season.
Young, who finished 11th in MVP voting, was also terrific. Her 18.9 points and 6.8 assists were both career-highs, and she was one of four players to finish in the top-10 in both scoring and assists. Gray, meanwhile, had her best season since she broke her foot in the 2023 Finals, and averaged 12 points and 6.7 assists on 44.1/36.5/93 shooting splits.
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