A'ja Wilson reminds WNBA contenders who is in charge as Aces blow out Storm

The Las Vegas Aces will not have the top seed in the WNBA playoffs. Nor will A'ja Wilson and company repeat as the No.2 seed.

They will not care. As the Aces reminded the WNBA on Sunday, anyone who wants to win the 2026 WNBA Finals has to take care of Las Vegas first.

Wilson, the MVP front-runner, dropped a game-high 30 points in Sunday's 98-77 win over the Seattle Storm at Michelob Ultra Arena.

It marked Wilson's 12th 30-point game of the 2026 season. No one else has more than nine.

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In 30 minutes, Wilson scored 30 points with eight rebounds, four assists and four stocks as the Aces blew out the lowly Storm for the second time in four days.

Averaging 26.2 points per game Wilson is on track to win her third scoring title, as she remains just ahead of Indiana Fever star Kelsey Mitchell.

Furthermore, Wilson is the only player to rank inside the top five in points, rebounds and blocked shots, while her 101.0 defensive rating is seventh in the WNBA. She may well win her fourth Defensive Player of the Year award in five seasons, not to mention her third successive MVP award.

Thanks to a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Atlanta Dream, the Aces will clinch the third seed in the playoffs with one win from their final two games against the Los Angeles Sparks and the Phoenix Mercury.

As it stands, a complex series of tiebreakers would see the Aces (29-13) square off against the New York Liberty in the first round, in a rematch of the 2023 Finals with two star-studded teams.

Las Vegas though would be favored in that series, and championship experience -- three of them in four years -- could well see the Aces through against the Golden State Valkyries, who would likely be waiting for them in the semifinals.

Even as the third seed, the Aces are dangerous. Wilson, Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young is as good a trio as you can find in The W, and to be the best, a new champion likely will have to beat the best.

Until further notice, that is still Wilson and the Aces.

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• Angel Reese becomes first WNBA player to reach 500 rebounds in a season

• Olivia Miles breaks Caitlin Clark’s WNBA rookie scoring record