Sue Bird Sets WNBA Finals Assist Record as Storm Beat Aces in Game 1

The Seattle Storm's first victory over the Las Vegas Aces this season couldn't have come at a better time. 

Breanna Stewart and Seattle took down the No. 1 seed Aces, 93-80, in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals to grab a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series. After finishing second in the MVP race to Las Vegas' A'ja Wilson, Stewart is now just two wins away from claiming an even bigger piece of hardware. 

Both previous matchups were tightly contested with the Aces winning by a combined 10 points. 

All games are being played inside the WNBA bubble at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

Notable Performers

Breanna Stewart, F, Seattle Storm: 37 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists

Sue Bird, G, Seattle Storm: 2 points, 16 assists, 5 rebounds (WNBA Playoffs assist record)

Jewell Loyd, G, Seattle Storm: 28 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds

A'ja Wilson, C, Las Vegas Aces: 19 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist

Angel McCoughtry, F, Las Vegas Aces: 20 points, 9 rebounds

Aces Can't Weather Storm Surges

For 4:13 of game time late in the second quarter, Seattle made its case as the best team in the WNBA, and it wasn't particularly close. 

The Storm knew Las Vegas would react to the opening tipoff with all the energy and emotion that comes from a team making its Finals debut. There was no panic when the Aces built an eight-point lead in the early minutes, and it turns out there was hardly any reason for the Storm to do more than shrug. 

An 18-0 run late in the second quarter exposed the dominance, poise and talent that has made Seattle three-time title winners. 

“I think we just continued to stay calm," Stewart said during an on-court interview after the Storm ended the first quarter up 23-21. "This is their first Finals and they’re very excited to get to this point, obviously.”

The Aces showed they are quick learners shortly after halftime. 

A 14-0 run that began with 6:30 left in the third quarter helped the No. 1 seed correct course and briefly tie Seattle at 67. 

After entering halftime with a team field goal percentage of 29.5 percent, Las Vegas began to see its shots fall in a third quarter, raising their team average up to 37.3 percent while a Storm team that went into the break shooting 62.9 percent began cooling off. 

It wouldn't last.

One final 11-0 run to open the fourth quarter put Seattle ahead for good as the Storm brushed past the Aces.

Sue Bird Sets Assists Record

Sue Bird entered the 2020 WNBA Finals having won three titles, been named to 11 All-Star games and unquestionably established herself as one of the best basketball players of all-time. 

Apparently, that resume wasn't enough for the Storm legend. 

Bird continued to set the standard for the WNBA by obliterating the record for assists in a Finals game by racking up 12 assists early in the third quarter. That was only moments after she became the first player with 10 or more assists in the first half of a Finals game. 

That quickly became a WNBA postseason record as she notched her 16th assist midway through the fourth quarter on another of Stewart's buckets.

Nine of Bird's assists went to Stewart, who was locked in all night, becoming the first player in Finals history to post at least 35 points and 15 rebounds. 

By the end of the second quarter, Bird had committed just one turnover. By the end of the game, she had just three total and the Storm had secured a 1-0 lead in the series.

What's Next

Game 2 of the WNBA Finals is set for Sunday, Oct. 4 at 3 p.m. EST on ABC.