Game One of the 2023 WNBA semi-finals would mark the Wings’ first loss of this year’s playoffs and it wasn’t particularly close.
Dallas fell 83-97 on the road against the Las Vegas Aces to open the series. With the loss, the Wings now trail the best-of-five series one game to nothing.
For much of the first half, the Wings were able to keep the game close as they trailed by just five points at the break. However, the Aces would pull away after outsourcing Dallas 26-12 in the 3rd quarter.
The Wings struggled from the field en route to scoring just 83 points. Dallas shot just 31-71 (43.7%) from the field and 9-21 (42.9%) from beyond the arc.
Dallas’ big three of Arike Ogunbowale, Satou Sabally, and Natasha Howard struggled mightily shooting the basketball as the three of them went a combined 14-42.
A’ja Wilson was a struggle to defend all night for the Wings as she would finish with 34 points including 14 in the Aces’ big 3rd quarter.
Sunday was also a rare game this season in which the Wings were outrebounded. Las Vegas grabbed 36 boards compared to Dallas’ 29.
If there was a positive to take away from this game it is the fact that the Wings bench outscored the Aces 27-4 with both Maddy Seigrist and Odyssey Sims finishing the game at +4.
Overall, the Wings just couldn’t get to their style of play in this one and it cost them. Against a different team, this may have been a game that Dallas could have pulled out but not against the Aces who are one of the best WNBA teams of all time.
It will be interesting to see how the Wings face adversity against a giant like the Aces.
The Wings will be back in action on Tuesday night in Las Vegas for game two of the series at 9:00 PM CST.
Dallas will return to the College Park Center for game three this upcoming Friday night for game three of the series.
