WNBA Finals: Aces’ bench comes through in Game 1 win over Mercury — PHOTOS

Becky Hammon has divine precognition, and the deepest group of reserves she’s ever had since taking the helm as head coach of the Aces four years ago.

Humorous mentions of her ability to see the future took center stage after she addressed reporters before Game 1 of the WNBA Finals against the Phoenix Mercury on Friday night and correctly predicted that her reserves would be the key to the 89-86 win that unfolded at Michelob Ultra Arena.

“We have the best overall bench that we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Hammon said before tipoff. “There’s different fits for different nights. (Center Kiah Stokes) helped us win two championships. And I will throw her out there not having played a minute.”

Reserve guard Dana Evans then came off the bench to match reigning MVP A’ja Wilson’s scoring as the pair led the second-seeded Aces with 21 points each, while guard Jewell Loyd joined Evans off the bench to add 19 points.

The Aces’ 41 bench points were the most ever for the franchise in a finals game and tied for their second most in any game this season, while the Mercury’s bench had 16 points.

And as Hammon foretold, Stokes entered the game solely for her defensive presence to seal the game on the final possession.

When asked after the win if she had any more predictions for the best-of-seven series, Hammon looked to Wilson with a joke.

“I have a crystal ball,” Hammon said. “I predict our defense will be better.”

The Aces came out slow Friday as Phoenix opened on a 10-2 run, but Loyd’s eight points in that frame kept the Aces close enough to tie the score at 21 after the first quarter.

With the Mercury maintaining control of the first three quarters thanks to their 50 percent shooting from the 3-point line, they went dry from deep in the final frame and shot just 2 of 12.

That’s when Evans came alive for the Aces, scoring three 3-pointers in the final eight minutes, including one with 3:40 remaining that put the Aces ahead and another with 2:41 left that built the Aces’ lead to five points.

When asked about her performance, Evans said she couldn’t remember much of it and added that she isn’t allowing herself to get too excited about the performance, which made her the first player in WNBA Finals history to make five 3s and record four steals in a game.

“I’m just in a zone,” she said. “I just want to win, really bad. … We’re not satisfied with this. It’s just the first game.”

Wilson scored 12 of her points in the last 14 minutes of the game. Starting guards Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray finished with 10 points and 10 assists, respectively. Gray’s fifth dish of the game moved her past Sue Bird for third all-time in WNBA postseason assists.

No one from the core group scored in double-digits in the first half.

Hammon said she specifically instructed Gray and Young to prioritize looks for Loyd and Evans because she figured that Gray and Wilson would be fatigued from leading the team in its first and second round series.

That strategy, along with key defensive adjustments in the second half, paid off.

Kahleah Copper and Satou Sabally had 21 and 19 points, respectively, for the No. 4 Mercury, but were limited down the stretch.

“(Copper) had 19 (points) at half and ended with 21. (Thomas) had 10 at the half and ended with 15,” Hammon said. “(We) paid attention to detail on those two players that were really hurting us.”

With Phoenix down a point with 24.6 seconds left, Thomas went to the free-throw line but missed both attempts. Stokes was key in the defensive play that prevented Sabally from making a long 3-pointer with 2 seconds left that would have tied it.

“Kiah Stokes for the win,” WIlson said postgame. “She is our defensive anchor. She played literally 14 seconds and did exactly what we needed her to do.”

After the loss, Copper responded to a reminder that her team lost each Game 1 of its first two postseason series but still advanced.

“(It taught us) not that it doesn’t matter, but that it’s OK. This is a long series,” Copper said. “We had the utmost confidence in our locker room and in our coaches to make the adjustments (in the first and second round). So now it’s the same thing. It’s still just a little frustrating.”

Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts offered a guarantee for Game 2, which is at noon Sunday at Michelob Ultra Arena.

“Their bench outplayed ours tonight, but our bench has won us a lot of games in these playoffs,” he said. “We’re going to play our style. They’re going to play their style, and the best team is going to win.”

Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on Twitter.