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Las Vegas Aces clinch spot in 2023 WNBA playoffs six weeks before they begin – CBS Sports
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The Las Vegas Aces have clinched a spot in the 2023 WNBA playoffs more than a month before they’re set to begin. Late on Tuesday night, the defending champions beat the Atlanta Dream, 93-72, to guarantee that they’ll have a chance to become the first team since the Los Angeles Sparks in 2001 and 2002 to go back-to-back.
Like many of their contests this season, this one was never in doubt. The Aces grabbed the lead for good late in the first quarter and maintained a double-digit advantage for the majority of the night. Jackie Young poured in a game-high 24 points, while A’ja Wilson continued her MVP-caliber season with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Kierstan Bell also came off the bench to add a career-high 15 points.
𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐒 𝐂𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐃!! ♦️♠️#ALLINLV pic.twitter.com/pH0TNQlTzJ
With the victory over the Dream, the Aces extended their winning streak to eight games and improved their record to 24-2, which matches the 1998 Houston Comets for the best record through 26 games in league history. At this pace, the Aces are set to smash the record for wins in a season (29, set by the Phoenix Mercury in 2014), and would also record the highest winning percentage ever.
So far, the only setback the Aces have faced this season was losing Candace Parker indefinitely to a broken foot last month. Since she went down they are 8-0, however, with all of those wins coming by double digits. Only the 2000 Comets have won more consecutive games (10) by at least 10 points. The Aces may feel Parker’s absence come playoff time, but for now they are rolling right along without her.
With 14 games to play in the regular season, the Aces have a four-game lead on the New York Liberty for the No. 1 seed. They are well on their way to locking up homecourt advantage throughout the postseason, though there are still three matchups left between the two squads, so that could possibly change.
The 2023 WNBA playoffs will begin on Sept. 13 with the best-of-three first round. For the second consecutive season, the league is using a traditional 1-8 bracket format, with conference affiliation rendered irrelevant. The first round will be a best-of-three series, while both the semifinals and Finals will be best-of-five.
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