The Las Vegas Aces went 9-1 over their last ten regular season games, including a win over the Seattle Storm in the season finale, to clinch the first seed. For that effort, they earned the right to play the Connecticut Sun, who in the single-elimination rounds of the playoffs dispatched both Chicago and Los Angeles , the latter of which was a title favorite.

While facing a seven seed in the semifinals may have been a mental boost for Las Vegas, Connecticut turned the tables in Game 1, hammering the Aces 87-62 behind a career high 31 pts from Jasmine Thomas.

???? Check out the best buckets from @jaszthomas' career day ???? #ATTPlayoffs#WatchMeWork | #BradentonArea pic.twitter.com/BmRPgonNgy

— WNBA (@WNBA) September 20, 2020

That result shouldn’t have been so surprising after watching the Sun handle the Sparks in a similar fashion, holding Los Angeles to a season low in points last game, with no quarter above 20 points. Throughout the regular season, defense has been the Sun’s strength. The team ended fourth in defensive rating, and through the first three games of the playoffs, they’ve lived up to the billing on that end of the court.

The question for Connecticut was always where the scoring would come from. Before the season, everyone wondered what DeWanna Bonner could provide the Sun, who lost in last year’s Finals. Bonner answered with her most efficient season in her decorated career, scoring more points per 36 minutes than at any other time in her 11 WNBA seasons.

The other big question was how Jonquel Jones would be replaced (Jones opted out of the season due to Covid concerns). In her first season as a full-time starter, Brionna Jones proved to be more than an adequate stop gap. Coming into the year, she’d only averaged 3.2 points per game in her career. She nearly quadrupled that as a starter, putting up 11.2 per game to go along with 5.6 rebounds.

The two players expected to lead the team this season have done exactly that. Alyssa Thomas averaged the most points in her seven-year career (15.5) and Jasmine Thomas had her fifth consecutive season averaging double digit points per game.

This is a team with a host of scoring threats that thrive off of ball movement. All five starters finished with at least 10 points against Los Angeles.

In the two regular season matchups, however, the Aces swept the Sun, winning by at least 15 points each time. And now, MVP A’ja Wilson and Las Vegas should be well-rested.

???? Check out the best buckets from @jaszthomas' career day ???? #ATTPlayoffs#WatchMeWork | #BradentonArea pic.twitter.com/BmRPgonNgy

— WNBA (@WNBA) September 20, 2020

Like Connecticut, Las Vegas will look to dominate in the paint, only they do it better than anyone. The Aces have more rebounds than any other team, the second most field goals per game in the restricted area (12.0), the most field goals in the paint outside of the restricted area (9.4) and the second most mid-range makes (7.5). The Aces also had 37 more made free throws than any other team as they got to the line at a league-leading clip.

The converse of the inside prowess is that no one takes fewer 3-pointers from the left (0.5 FGA), right (0.2 FGA), or center (10.9). Still, Las Vegas has the fourth-highest 3-point percentage.

On average, Las Vegas has five players in double figures each game. While Wilson is the team leader, Angel McCoughtry has had a resurgent season. On a per-minute basis, McCoughtry is averaging more points than Wilson, and the second highest average in her career behind 2011. She also is assisting at her highest rate since 2013, with the most rebounds, best free throw percentage, best field goal percentage, and best 3-point field goal percentage of her career.

11-year vet. 5x #WNBA All-Star. 2x Olympic Gold Medalist. @angel_35 made her triumphant return from injury this season with the @LVAces averaging 14.4 PPG (51.8 FG%), 5.1 RPG, 2.5 APG and 1.3 SPG - while playing just 20 MPG.

Will this be the year she captures her first title? pic.twitter.com/vHc6hXQZ1d

— WNBA (@WNBA) September 21, 2020

Both teams will want to command the paint. If Connecticut can space the floor, as they did in making nine 3-pointers against the Sparks, they can prove their Game 1 upset of the Aces was anything but a fluke.

Had this been another single-elimination game, the Sun would be on to the next round. But there’s a reason it’s a series, and given their depth, the Aces may still prove to be just too much for the overachieving Sun.

Cameron Brink already has her rookie of the year pick for the upcoming WNBA season, and it’s Indiana-bound star Caitlin Clark. 

In the latest edition of Kelley on the Street, host Kelley O'Hara caught up with Brink in New York hours before the Stanford phenom went No. 2 overall to the Los Angeles Sparks at the 2024 WNBA Draft. When O’Hara asked who would win the WNBA's rookie of the year, she answered without pause.

"Caitlin Clark," she said, while a fan commented that she thought Brink would take home the award. Brink later added that the extra foul granted to WNBA players will be "good for me."

"I hope it’s me," Charisma Osborne, who was later drafted by the Phoenix Mercury, said when asked her ROY prediction. "But, I don’t know — we’ll see."

Watch more of Kelley on the Street:

Maria Sanchez issued a statement on Thursday, confirming recent reports that she has requested a trade from the Houston Dash. 

In it, she revealed that the club has been aware of the request "since late March."

"This has all taken a toll and isn’t an easy thing to talk about, but I want to confirm that I’ve requested an immediate trade," she wrote. "My expectations and reasons have been clear. I trust that my current club’s management will honor my decision in a timely manner and proceed with accepting a trade."

"I’m eager to refocus and dive back into what I love most: playing football," she concluded.

Thank you, everyone, for the outpouring of kindness and support. pic.twitter.com/gcnN7dhCJU

— Maria Sanchez (@Maria17_7) April 19, 2024

Reports of Sanchez's trade request first surfaced on ESPN last week, and were later confirmed by multiple sources. 

In December of last year, Sanchez signed a three-year contract with the Dash valued at $1.5 million including bonuses and an option year. It was the largest contract in NWSL history at the time — a figure that would be eclipsed by multiple contracts in the following months. 

Sanchez spent the offseason as a restricted free agent, meaning that Houston could match any other team's offer to retain her rights. Should the Dash trade Sanchez, her current contract terms would remain intact, limiting potential buyers to teams able to afford to take on an inking of that size.

The Dash has yet to address the trade, instead reiterating to ESPN that Sanchez is "under contract, a choice she made in free agency at the end of 2023." 

Both the NWSL trade window and transfer window close tonight, April 19th, at 12 a.m. ET. The window will stay closed through the next 11 regular season games, reopening on August 1st, 2024.

The four-time league champion Seattle Storm unveiled their new practice facility on Thursday, with Storm co-owner Lisa Brummel dubbing Interbay's Seattle Storm Center for Basketball Performance the team’s "new home."

"It's just such a special space," Brummel told Fox 13 Seattle. "I think when the players get here, it's gonna be overwhelming."

The sprawling 50,000-square-foot, $64 million property is just the second designated practice facility to be designed and built expressly for a WNBA team, with the Storm further noting that 85% of all design and engineering team members involved in the project's construction were women and people of color. The finished product holds two professional indoor courts, two 3x3 outdoor courts, a state-of-the-art locker room, and players' lounge, plus designated areas for strength and conditioning, kitchen, dining, and nutrition, and recovery. 

"This facility reflects our commitment to providing our athletes an exceptional environment that supports their growth, health, and performance," said Storm co-owner Ginny Gilder in an official team release. "It’s built for women, by women, embodying our dedication to leading the way in professional women’s sports."

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For their part, the team can't wait to make the faciilty their own.

"It's amazing," Storm guard Jewell Loyd told Fox 13. "Not having to drive everywhere around, knowing you have access anytime of the day to get into the gym, to workout." 

Head coach Noelle Quinn said she predicts the team is "never going to leave this building."

"Which is a good thing for me," she continued. "You talk about having an edge in performance. We want our athletes to not only perform on the court, but get whatever they need."

All of the Storm's staff and operations will now live under one roof, and the team also has plans to launch a youth basketball program operating out of the building.

The Caitlin Clark effect is quickly making its mark on the big leagues, as WNBA host teams around the country rush to upgrade their Fever games to larger arenas in order to accommodate surging ticket sales.

With Clark mere weeks away from her Indiana Fever debut, both the Las Vegas Aces and Washington Mystics have officially relocated their scheduled home games with head coach Christie Sides' squad. On Thursday, the Mystics became the latest to adjust their plans, moving their June 7th matchup from Entertainment & Sports Arena in Southwest DC to the more centrally located — and much larger — Capital One Arena "due to unprecedented demand."

The Mystics home court's capacity taps out at 4,200, while Capital One Arena — home to the Wizards, Capitals, and Georgetown Hoya's Men's Basketball — can fit nearly five times that crowd at some 20,000 spectators.

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"The move to Capital One Arena will allow for additional fans in the stands as well as premium hospitality options, including Suites and the all-new all-inclusive courtside Hennessy Lofts," the team announced via Thursday's press release.

The Aces were one of the first teams to switch venues, aiming to take on the Indiana Fever in front of as many as 20,000 fans inside T-Mobile Arena on July 2nd. That’s a sizable a boost from their home venue, which holds just 12,000.

For those still planning to face the Fever in their home arenas, ticket prices have skyrocketed. Previously scheduled construction has already forced the LA Sparks to relocate their first five games — including their May 24th clash with the Fever — to Long Beach State's Walter Pyramid. The temporary venue is quite the downsize, holding just 4,000 in comparison to Crypto.com Arena's near-19,000. As of Friday, the get-in price for that game started around $400.

Despite fans launching a Change.org petition urging relocation, the Chicago Sky say they're unable to move their June 23rd Fever meeting from Wintrust Arena's 10,000-seat facility to the 23,500-seat United Center due to a concert. Tickets for that game start around $325 as of Friday.