In the waning seconds of the 2nd quarter during Game Two of the WNBA Finals, Las Vegas Aces’ Head Coach, Becky Hammon, dove deep into her bag to open up an easy look and notch another two points on the board before the half.

Down double digits with under three minutes remaining, the Sun put together a run heading into halftime. It started with Jonquel Jones’ deep seal in the paint and finish off a high-low pass and a Courtney Williams floater crashing the backside of the play. Then an Alyssa Thomas up and under through traffic in the paint, a Bri Jones trip to the line, and finally another Jonquel Jones seal early in transition led to Connecticut closing a 13-point gap to 6.

They’d found traction, picking apart Vegas’ zone defense and establishing a rhythm while holding their own on the other end. They weren’t taking the quick shots that plagued them much of the game, resulting in less time to set their defense on the other end of the court.

With 19.3 seconds left on the clock, Hammon calls for a timeout. The Sun have the momentum; they’re clawing back in in a replicable way; they’re not fluke baskets.

Then we get some quality trickery from Hammon and Chelsea Gray on a stellar ATO (After Timeout Play), something Hammon has shown an immense aptitude for throughout the season and in this particular series.

There’s a ton to take away from this play, both in its minutiae and the grand scheme of the game. For starters, A’ja Wilson scores with a silky smooth up and under, taking Bri Jones to task around the rim.

In totality, this play cemented, for me, the game for the Aces. Games are rarely won or lost in a singular play, but this felt akin to a boxer smiling at their opponent with blood streaming down their face. Las Vegas took Connecticut’s best shot, didn’t grimace, and proceeded to take increasing control of the game from there on out. I can’t imagine how frustrating it is to put together a run as the Sun did and then have that play pick you apart and deflate you right before the half.

Gray receives the inbounds pass from Jackie Young, who spaces to the near corner. Riquna Williams and Wilson are set in the slot to deliver a pair of staggered screens for Kelsey Plum to scamper around or through out of the far corner.

Gray holds the ball until the 10-second mark hits the clock and starts to dribble down Alyssa Thomas, occupied by the mimicked isolation. With how Gray plays, there’s no relaxation found when she has the ball anywhere.

With the Sun playing their jumbo lineup (One guard and four frontcourt players), the Aces can make things mucky with something that’s been a staple for them all season but shone brightly in their offense in Game Two; guard screening. Using their bevy of ball-handlers and shooters to screen for Wilson, the Aces can get her an extra half or full step advantage which is all she needs to get to her spots around the elbow or the rim with her fluidity and footwork.

Throughout the game up to this point, Wilson has been screened for three times, twice by guards, and that’s just on her eight field goal attempts prior.

Courtney Williams had top-locked Plum most of the game prior, essentially playing over-top instead of straight up to try and deny her the ball coming off of a screen. The play uses that to take advantage of the defense, with neither Riquna Williams nor Wilson making contact on their screens with Courtney Williams, allowing Plum to drag her across the floor while still being denied, and then making contact to screen Jonquel Jones.

As the Sun are in their jumbo lineup, and the Aces are in a smaller lineup with Wilson as the only big on the court, Connecticut is in a bit of a bind. Bri Jones has to be cognizant of Riquna Williams sinking to the corner off the stagger. Jonquel Jones sticks the screen from Plum, perhaps anticipating that Wilson will step back to her left to receive the ball from Gray, much like she did earlier in the second quarter.

There’s the miscalculation, that extra step provided by the defense trying to predict what will happen. Wilson glides to the paint. Gray slings a rocket pass with precision. Jones squared, attempting to recover, and that’s all she wrote.

“I thought they were over-helping (during the game) on a cutter, so I wanted to slip someone to the basket,” said Hammon after the game on her decision to run that play.

The way the Aces used their guards to make it that much harder for the Sun to get comfortable defensively is, in my mind, the biggest difference between game one and two. Plum made her driving a decisive factor in the game. Still, her aggression as a screener and how it made the defense think was pivotal in causing some micro-moments of chaos and confusion for Connecticut’s defense. 

The Sun defense was on their heels much of the game, and there are certainly areas that can be cleaned up, including individual guard defense. However, Game Two, to me, was more a brilliant showcase of the flexibility, talent, and basketball feel that the Aces players and coaching staff collectively possess.

WNBA reporter Mark Schindler writes a column on WNBA.com throughout the season and can be reached on Twitter at @MG_Schindler. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the WNBA or its clubs.