Top-Seeded Aces Deal Mercury First-Round Sweep in WNBA Playoffs

Top-seeded Aces eye second-round series against Seattle or Washington

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Chelsea Gray had 27 points and eight assists and hit a career-high seven of Las Vegas’ WNBA playoff-record 23 three-pointers, and the Aces beat the Phoenix Mercury 117-80 on Saturday night to sweep the best-of-three series.

Las Vegas, which never trailed, also set WNBA playoff marks for consecutive field goals made to open a game (10) and most three-pointers in a half (11, in the first). The top-seeded Aces beat Phoenix 79-63 on Wednesday.

Las Vegas will play the fourth-seeded Seattle Storm or the fifth-seeded Washington Mystics in the best-of-five semifinals. Seattle leads the best-of-three series with the Mystics 1-0.

Kelsey Plum added 22 points for Las Vegas.

Kaela Davis led short-handed Phoenix with 23 points, and Diamond DeShields had 21.

Phoenix was without Diana Taurasi, Skylar Diggins-Smith and Brittney Griner. Taurasi was out with a quadriceps strain, Diggins-Smith stepped away last week for personal reasons and Griner is being detained in Russia on drug charges.

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