{"id":159792,"date":"2025-09-16T02:01:06","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T02:01:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/159792\/"},"modified":"2025-09-16T02:01:06","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T02:01:06","slug":"nalyssa-smith-sets-tone-for-las-vegas-aces-in-wnba-playoff-1st-round-series-aces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/159792\/","title":{"rendered":"NaLyssa Smith sets tone for Las Vegas Aces in WNBA playoff 1st-round series | Aces"},"content":{"rendered":"

SEATTLE \u2014 You could hear players NaLyssa Smith and A\u2019ja Wilson and coach Becky Hammon joking and laughing in the hallway as they made their way toward the media room following the Aces\u2019 postseason opener Sunday night<\/a> at Michelob Ultra Arena.<\/p>\n

The 102-77 score in Game 1 of the best-of-three first-round WNBA playoffs series against the Seattle Storm didn\u2019t quite tell the story of how exciting the Aces looked on both ends of the court. The same was true for Smith\u2019s stat line of 11 points and nine rebounds.<\/p>\n

It put the 6-foot-4-inch forward one rebound shy of the description Aces president Nikki Fargas offered when the organization gave up a first-round pick to acquire her from the Dallas Wings<\/a> at the end of June: a \u201cwalking double-double,\u201d who could provide the necessary consistency to help power a run in the playoffs and serve as a building block for the future.<\/p>\n

Smith didn\u2019t waste any time showing she could meet that expectation. She illustrated her ability to take offensive pressure off Wilson, the reigning league MVP, and earned a spot in the starting lineup over veteran forward Kiah Stokes after just one game.<\/p>\n

Now, Smith is able to relish the role and the success that\u2019s coming with it.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I am,\u201d Smith said Sunday in response to a question that asserted she looks like she\u2019s having the time of her life with the Aces amid their ongoing 17-game win streak that set a franchise record and helped them secure the No. 2 playoffs seed.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, winning is fun,\u201d Smith continued. \u201cWhen winning is a standard, it raises your level. Your will to win. So just being surrounded by such big players, big coaches, I won\u2019t take this opportunity for granted.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no surprise that Smith values the victories. Sunday was the first playoff win of her career. She saw just five total wins in her rookie season with the Indiana Fever after being drafted second overall in 2022 out of Baylor. She missed the postseason again in 2023, then got a taste of the playoffs in 2024 when Caitlin Clark led the Fever to a first-round matchup that saw them shut out by the Connecticut Sun.<\/p>\n

The Aces don\u2019t take Smith for granted, either. They were 8-8 when they signed her, and have gone 22-6 since. Smith missed only one of those games, a win over the Chicago Sky that Hammon said she was \u201cirritated\u201d that Smith wouldn\u2019t be available for due to the league\u2019s concussion protocol stepping in after she went down hard in a win over the Minnesota Lynx.<\/p>\n

Defensive edge<\/p>\n

Smith\u2019s defense has come a long way, helping to set the tone for the Aces on Sunday as she recorded two first-quarter blocks in a dominant Aces\u2019 start. The first rejection was over veteran Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike, and the other deflated 6-6 rookie Dominique Malonga.<\/p>\n

Smith\u2019s early defensive presence was so important that Hammon interrupted her opening postgame comments to directly commend her.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we play defense, we become very difficult to beat,\u201d Hammon said, before turning to Smith for an aside. \u201cYour post defense \u2014 how much am I on you about defense all the time? She just keeps getting better and better at what we\u2019re asking her to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked what she was most proud of about her defense Sunday, Smith let out an expletive that sent Wilson and Hammon back into laughter.<\/p>\n

\u201cS\u2014. All of it. For real,\u201d Smith said as she tried to remain composed. \u201cI had zero fouls. That\u2019s unheard of.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wilson, who Smith calls her GOAT and said she\u2019s admired since college, added that Smith\u2019s effort was \u201cso key\u201d for the Aces on Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo know that someone\u2019s gonna be that second and third layer in action of defense for you, you never feel like you\u2019re on an island,\u201d Wilson said. \u201cShe\u2019s just always out there doing the little things at the right time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wilson was seen offering Smith tips during a stoppage in play as the Aces played the Wings in a preseason game. On Sunday, Wilson expressed satisfaction with Smith continuing to be coachable.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been tons of fun to just grow alongside (Smith). She\u2019s helped me lead her and teach her, and that\u2019s something I hold near and dear to my heart. I think on the court, you see that,\u201d Wilson said. \u201cShe knows how to get to her spots, and I think she\u2019s always ready for the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com<\/a>. Follow @CallieJLaw<\/a> on X.<\/p>\n

Up next<\/p>\n

What: WNBA playoffs Game 2 (best-of-three series)<\/p>\n

Who: Aces at Seattle<\/p>\n

When: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday<\/p>\n

Where: Climate Pledge Arena<\/p>\n

TV: ESPN<\/p>\n

Radio: KWWN (1100 AM, 100.9 FM)<\/p>\n

Line: Aces -5; total 161<\/p>\n

Rest of series: Game 3, Seattle at Aces (if necessary), TBD, ESPN2<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SEATTLE \u2014 You could hear players NaLyssa Smith and A\u2019ja Wilson and coach Becky Hammon joking and laughing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":159793,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[99,434],"class_list":["post-159792","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159792","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=159792"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159792\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/159793"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=159792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=159792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=159792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}