WNBA playoffs: Dearica Hamby's jaw-dropping steal, 3-point toss send Aces over Sky; Sparks defeat Storm

The WNBA will have a new champion this season after the No. 3 Los Angeles Sparks pulled away late in the second half to defeat the No. 6 Seattle Storm, 92-69, in the second round of the postseason.

The No. 4 Aces survived against upset-minded No. 5 Chicago Sky, 93-92, with a shocking steal and deep 3-pointer by Dearica Hamby to advance.

The Sparks will play the No. 2 Connecticut Sun while the Aces travel to offensive powerhouse Washington Mystics. The best-of-five semifinal series begin Tuesday.

Aces’ Hamby stuns Sky

Dearica Hamby saved the Aces season as the Sky threw theirs away.

Hamby, who accepted her Sixth Woman of the Year award before the game, stole a final-seconds pass by Courtney Vandersloot as time was winding down and the Sky up, 92-90. The Sky only had to run out the clock to move on from a back-and-forth game that has been the highlight of the postseason.

Instead of streaking up the sideline, Hamby threw up a shot that went in with 5 seconds left and laid down shock on everyone’s faces.

Hamby finished with 17 points, four rebounds, five assists and two steals off the bench. Her final points were the 20th lead change of the game.

Astou Ndour hit only her 15th 3-pointer of the season all alone in the corner with 24.1 seconds on the clock to give Chicago a two-point lead, 92-90. It marked the 19th lead change of the game, seven of which occurred in the final quarter, and closed a 7-0 run. She got into early foul trouble and spent time on the bench, but finished with 17 points and a team-high eight rebounds.

Liz Cambage led the Aces with 23 points and 17 rebounds. The Aces big lineup of Cambage (6-foot-8), A’ja Wilson (6-4) and Hamby (6-3) fueled multiple runs to get back in it with Chicago. The Sky led by 15 in the second quarter and again by 10 in the third before an intense final 12 minutes.

Wilson also had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Kelsey Plum had 15 points and six assists off the bench. Kayla McBride laid in 16 points as well.

Diamond DeShields continued her stellar postseason debut with a team-high 23 points. Vandersloot had 12 assists.

The Sky took a 10-point lead midway through the third on a 13-0 run, but it didn’t take long for the Aces to battle back into the lead. Cambage got the bucket-and-1 and Plum hit a 3-pointer followed by 3-point play. She went in for the game-leading that fortunately bounced out into Cambage’s arcing fingers to make it 63-62.

The momentum began to swing like a violent yo-yo through the rest of the quarter, closing with a 76-75 Aces lead. Aces head coach Bill Laimbeer said on the ESPN broadcast his team got its energy back after coming out of the locker room flat.

The Sky was on fire to start the game, shooting 63 percent in the first quarter to lead, 29-21, at the half. Vandersloot assist on five of the team’s 10 made field goals. The Aces struggled from the floor and didn’t get a field goal from either Cambage or Wilson until the 13-minute mark. They combined for three free throws in the first.

The Sky led, 51-45, at the half.

Las Vegas will take a charter to play the No. 1 Mystics, the most efficient offense in history.

Sparks’ Gray answers Storm

Gray scored a game-high 21 points complemented by eight assists and three rebounds. She was 4 of 7 from 3-point range, leading the squad’s 40.7 percent mark from behind the arc.

Whether via setups or buckets, Gray consistently answered Storm runs throughout the tightly contested battle. Seattle came within one point a handful of times, but never held the advantage again after a 23-22 lead through one quarter.

It was Gray who took that lead back for Los Angeles, fueling a 9-0 run with a pull-up jumper, two assists and a 3-pointer for a 31-23 lead with 6:41 left in the second quarter.

Candace Parker scored 11 points with a team-high 10 rebounds and six assists. The veteran tweaked her knee within the last two minutes of the first quarter, but stayed in despite limping and didn’t miss any notable time.