Aces’ Chelsea Gray turned All-Star snub into motivation for playoff run

The top-seeded Las Vegas Aces let a close one slip away at home Sunday vs. the Seattle Storm, who stole Game 1 with a 76-73 triumph in their best-of-five semifinal series. But first-year Aces coach and newly minted WNBA Coach of the Year Becky Hammon was quick to find the bright side.

“The good news is there’s some things that we can correct,” Hammon told media following the loss. “Obviously, we didn’t shoot the ball well tonight. It comes down to, sometimes, just making shots at the end of the game.”

Aces All-Star guard Kelsey Plum, who scored 20 points for the seventh time in her last eight playoff games, went 8-for-23 (2-of-10 from the three) on the night but missed two game-tying three-pointers at the end of a tug-o-war fourth quarter, including a 25-footer with 2.9 seconds left. Leading the way for Las Vegas was fellow guard Chelsea Gray, who scored a team-high 21 points, one rebound, five assists and two steals in 35 minutes.

The 29-year-old Gray went 9-15 from the field and is now 24-for-35 in the playoffs. Should she maintain her 68.6-percent shooting average, it would mark the highest field-goal percentage ever in the postseason for a player with at least 35 attempts.

“She just the steady in the storm,” said Hammon regarding the eight-year league veteran. “She’s calm, she’s cool, she’s collected. You know she’s going to get a look. So, you know, I feel good about putting the ball in her hands.”

The ball was indeed in Gray’s hands with 1:29 left in the game, when she swished a 17-footer to tie the game at 73. But a foul by Plum on Storm sharpshooter Jewell Loyd (game-high 26 points) gave Seattle the advantage when she made the second of two free throws and followed up 42 seconds later with a 20-footer to put the