Chelsea Gray had a triple-double and the host Las Vegas Aces held off the New York Liberty 88-75 on Thursday night.
Gray finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists as the Aces (28-3) rebounded from two lopsided losses to the Liberty in the past two weeks, including an 82-63 defeat in the Commissioner’s Cup final on Tuesday in Las Vegas.
A’ja Wilson added 21 points and eight rebounds for the Aces, who have won four consecutive regular-season games. Kelsey Plum scored 18 points, and Jackie Young added 16.
Sabrina Ionescu scored 22, Betnijah Laney had 17 and Breanna Stewart added 13 points and seven rebounds for New York (24-7), which had won six straight before the Cup final that didn’t count in the standings.
Ionescu made two 3-pointers and Stewart sank one as New York trimmed Las Vegas’ 13-point halftime lead to seven midway through the third quarter.
Plum answered with a 3-pointer, but Laney and Courtney Vandersloot each made a 3-pointer as the Liberty closed within 68-64 at the end of the third quarter.
Wilson and Gray hit consecutive baskets to start the fourth-quarter scoring and push the lead to eight. Marine Johannes made a 3-pointer for New York’s first points of the period, but Gray answered with a 3-pointer.
Ionescu made a 3-pointer before Wilson contributed two free throws and a basket for a 79-70 lead with four minutes remaining.
The Liberty scored the first eight points of the game and held a 19-14 lead.
Young scored five straight points and added two more as Las Vegas finished with an 11-2 run for a 25-21 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Johannes made a 3-pointer for New York to start the second-quarter scoring, but Wilson and Gray scored three points each as Las Vegas opened a 35-27 lead.
The Liberty pulled within three points three times before Wilson scored six points in the last 3 1/2 minutes of the period to give the Aces a 53-40 halftime lead.
–Field Level Media