Kelsey Plum matched her playoff career-high by scoring 29 points on Tuesday night, with WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson contributing a double-double, leading the fourth-seeded Las Vegas Aces to an 83-76 victory against the Seattle Storm, securing a two-game sweep in the quarterfinals.

The back-to-back champions, Aces, will begin a best-of-five semifinal series against the top-seeded New York Liberty on Sunday. Despite losing all three matchups during the regular season, the Aces showed strong form towards the end, finishing 9-1 in their last ten games.

Plum impressively hit 11 of 15 attempts from the floor, while Wilson tallied 24 points and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds, dominating the boards 45-30. Chelsea Gray also played a key role with 12 points and nine assists.

Gabby Williams led the fifth-seeded Seattle with 20 points, while Nneka Ogwumike added 16 points and 10 rebounds. Ezi Magbegor, back from a concussion layoff, contributed 14 points and Skylar Diggins-Smith chipped in 13 points along with 10 assists.

Seattle briefly led in the fourth quarter thanks to a putback by Mercedes Russell, but Las Vegas quickly responded with seven consecutive points. Jackie Young’s transition basket put the Aces ahead 71-65 with 6:05 left, and they maintained their lead from that point onward.

Las Vegas began strong in their elimination game, with Plum and Wilson each scoring 12 points in the first quarter. The Aces jumped out to a 23-7 lead within the first five minutes and closed the quarter with a 30-20 edge.

Seattle made a comeback in the second quarter, narrowing the gap to 39-38 following Magbegor’s layup at 2:21. However, Las Vegas ended the half strong, scoring the last six points, with Wilson sealing the half with two free throws for a 45-38 lead.

The Storm tied the game twice early in the third quarter, but the Aces regained control, leading by 57-51 after Wilson’s layup with 3:05 remaining. Plum’s floater at the end of the quarter gave Las Vegas a 62-57 lead heading into the final period.

Sabrina Ionescu scores 36 points as New York Liberty complete sweep of Atlanta Dream

Sabrina Ionescu achieved a playoff career-high with 36 points while Jonquel Jones secured a double-double, leading the New York Liberty to a 91-82 victory over the Atlanta Dream, completing a 2-0 sweep in the first round.

The top-seeded Liberty advanced to the semifinals for the second consecutive year, having previously defeated the eighth-seeded Dream 83-69 in Game 1.

Now, New York will face the fourth-seeded Las Vegas Aces in the best-of-five semifinals.

Ionescu shot 12-for-23 overall, including 5-for-11 from beyond the arc, and added nine assists. She clinched the lead for the Liberty with a crucial three-pointer that made it 70-67 with 7:17 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Jones added 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting and recorded 13 rebounds. Breanna Stewart scored 13 points, while Leonie Fiebich contributed nine points for the Liberty.

Allisha Gray led the Atlanta team with 26 points as the Dream faced a first-round playoff exit for the second year in a row. Rhyne Howard followed with 19 points, while Tina Charles added 14 points and Naz Hillmon contributed six points and ten rebounds.

The Dream tied the game at 67 with a three-pointer from Nia Coffey early in the final quarter, and narrowed it to 73-72 after Gray’s fifth three-pointer. However, the Liberty responded with a decisive 12-2 run to secure the lead.

New York pulled ahead 82-74 following Fiebich’s three-point play, and extended their advantage to 85-74 after another three-pointer from Fiebich with 3:37 on the clock. They maintained at least a seven-point lead until the final buzzer.

The Liberty outscored the Dream at the free-throw line and converted more points off turnovers, leading 18-11 in that category.

Despite leading 28-19 after an excellent first quarter from Gray, who scored 14 points, the Dream could not hold their advantage. The Liberty orchestrated a 21-8 run to take a 40-36 lead midway through the second quarter. Atlanta answered with a 12-3 run to go into halftime ahead 48-43 after Charles’ late three-pointer.

In the third, the Dream initially went up 55-47 on Howard’s three-pointer but the Liberty surged back to lead 63-59 at the 1:52 mark. Ionescu shone for the Liberty with 11 points in the third, while Gray’s late resurgence helped Atlanta close to 65-64 as they completed the quarter.