WNBA playoffs: Results from the 2022 postseason and the Las Vegas Aces' path to the championship

Ellen J. Horrow, USA TODAY
·3 min read
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After eight teams and then four duked it out over two rounds, the 2022 WNBA Finals matchup saw the top-seeded Las Vegas Aces and the No. 3 seed Connecticut Sun battle for a championship.

The Aces made the Finals for the second time in three years and the Sun were in the Finals for a third time (2004, 2005, 2019), so the matchup meant the WNBA would have a first-time title-winner.

After Las Vegas took a 2-0 lead in the first two games of the 2022 Finals, Connecticut responded with a rout in Game 3 to avoid elimination. But the Aces proved to have too much firepower, as regular-season MVP A’ja Wilson and Finals MVP Chelsea Gray made sure the series would not return to Las Vegas with a 78-71 win in the decisive Game 4.

Las Vegas was defeated in the 2020 Finals by the Seattle Storm in the bubble in Bradenton, Florida. The Sun lost to the Washington Mystics in five games in the 2019 Finals.

Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray (12) moves the ball up court alongside forward A'ja Wilson (22) during a July 26 game.
Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray (12) moves the ball up court alongside forward A'ja Wilson (22) during a July 26 game.

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WNBA Finals

No. 1 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 3 Connecticut Sun

  • Aces win series 3-1

(Series was best-of-5.)

Game 1: Las Vegas Aces 67, Connecticut Sun 64

Game 2: Las Vegas Aces 85, Connecticut Sun 71

Game 3: Connecticut Sun 105, Las Vegas Aces 76

Game 4: Las Vegas Aces 78, Connecticut 71

Second-round results

(Best-of-5)

No. 1 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 4 Seattle Storm

  • Aces win series 3-1

Game 1: Seattle Storm 76, Las Vegas Aces 73

Game 2: Las Vegas Aces 78, Seattle Storm 73

Game 3: Las Vegas Aces 110, Seattle Storm 98 (OT)

Game 4: Las Vegas Aces 97, Seattle Storm 92

No. 2 Chicago Sky vs. No. 3 Connecticut Sun

  • Sun win series 3-2

Game 1: Connecticut Sun 68, Chicago Sky 63

Game 2: Chicago Sky 85, Connecticut Sun 77

Game 3: Chicago Sky 76, Connecticut Sun 72

Game 4: Connecticut Sun 104, Chicago Sky 80

Game 5: Connecticut Sun 72, Chicago Sky 63

First-round results

(Best-of-3)

No. 1 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 8 Phoenix Mercury

Game 1: Las Vegas Aces 79, Phoenix Mercury 63

Game 2: Las Vegas Aces 117, Phoenix Mercury 80

  • Aces win series 2-0

No. 2 Chicago Sky vs. No. 7 New York Liberty

Game 1: New York Liberty 98, Chicago Sky 91

Game 2: Chicago Sky 100, New York Liberty 62

Game 3: Chicago Sky 90, New York Liberty 72

  • Sky win series 2-1

No. 3 Connecticut Sun vs. No. 6 Dallas Wings

Game 1: Connecticut Sun 93, Dallas Wings 68

Game 2: Dallas Wings 89, Connecticut Sun 79

Game 3: Connecticut Sun 73, Dallas Wings 58

  • Sun win series 2-1

No. 4 Seattle Storm vs. No. 5 Washington Mystics

Game 1: Seattle Storm 86, Washington Mystics 83

Game 2: Seattle Storm 97, Washington Mystics 84

  • Storm win series 2-0

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: WNBA playoffs 2022: Results from the Finals and early-round games