The Las Vegas Aces have won six straight games, climbing the WNBA standings as star center A’ja Wilson rises in the MVP race.
Las Vegas (20-14) has won 11 of its past 14 games, including eight of the past nine. While the Minnesota Lynx have all but locked down the top spot in the league, the Aces are still within striking distance of the No. 2 seed as they host the slumping Dallas Wings (9-25) on Sunday afternoon.
Wilson has fueled the surge for Las Vegas, with the three-time MVP posting 30 points and 16 rebounds in Friday’s 86-83 win over the Phoenix Mercury. The Aces built a 10-point third-quarter edge but had to hold off Phoenix late on the defensive end.
“I think we’ve had some grittiness defensively,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said. “But I think more importantly, we’re learning how to win together. We were dropping close games in the past … but we’re starting to win these close games and that shows a grittiness, a resiliency, a lock-in factor.”
Dallas has lost six of its past seven, including a 97-96 heartbreaker to the Los Angeles Sparks on Friday. The Wings trailed by 13 with five minutes to play but cut the lead to a point and had a shot at the win. Paige Bueckers’ 3-point attempt just ahead of the buzzer rolled off the rim.
“We’ve got to find ways to take care of the ball and put ourselves in a position to not have to fight and claw back. I love coming in here and hearing everyone say, ‘I love your fight. I love your fight. You guys don’t give up,'” Wings coach Chris Kolcanes said. “But we’ve got to continue to put 40 minutes together.”
Rookie of the Year favorite Bueckers had 29 points and five assists in the loss. Bueckers ranks sixth in the WNBA in scoring (18.8 points per game) and seventh in assists (5.4).
This will be the fourth and final meeting of the teams this season, with the Aces going for the season sweep. Las Vegas won each of the first two games by just four points.
–Field Level Media
