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Las Vegas had to pull away on several occasions to secure a season-opening win over Phoenix Tuesday night from the Michelob Ultra Arena.
The Aces hit timely shots when they needed as part of a 89-80 win over the Mercury Tuesday, May 14 to open the new WNBA campaign. With the win, the team has run its consecutive win streak to nine games over Phoenix.
Prior to tip-off the team celebrated last year’s back-to-back championship run as it received its rings and raised its title banner. Las Vegas is looking to become the league’s first three-peat champions since the Houston Comets won four straight from 1997 to 2000.
“[Owner Mark Davis] did his big one with that one,” forward A’ja Wilson said. “It was huge, I was not expecting that at all. I’m blessed to be able to say I’m a back-to-back champ.”
The first four games of the season for the defending back-to-back champs will take place at home with the next one scheduled for Saturday, May 18 from the Michelob Ultra Arena. The Los Angeles Sparks will be in town for that weekend matinee matchup set for 12 p.m.
“I love the fact we get everybody’s best game,” Wilson said. “I don’t think we’re the villain, I’m not going to put that on us at all but we do have something that people want and we have to try and defend that.”
Las Vegas raced out to a fast start while leaning on the former two-time MVP. Wilson pumped out 10 of the team’s first 14 points by the first stoppage in play. At one point of the first quarter, the five-time all-star scored 11 straight points for the home team.
“I was blown away at the fact that I shot the ball 22 times,” she said. “That’s a lot for me, I’m never really gunning for that but at the same time I literally could not shoot the three-ball today.”
With fellow all-star and starting point guard Chelsea Gray missing the contest as she recovers from a lower left leg injury. Despite not being in uniform, Gray was up-and-down all night, sharing in the coaching duties on the bench.
“It’s like having another coach,” head coach Becky Hammon said. “But we like the coach on the floor too. We’ll make it work – it’s a really great growth opportunity for the rest of the team to step up in a different way.”
Seventeen of Wilson’s 30 points came in the first quarter as she notched a double-double with 13 rebounds to go with the scoring punch.
Phoenix appeared dormant through the first 13-plus minutes of the game ahead of an 18-6 run to close the first half that got the team back into the game. That 18-6 run was highlighted by a 10-0 run by the visitors.
That stretch cut the once 16-point lead into a one-point deficit.
“Basketball is a game of runs,” Wilson said. “I’m not going to go for 17 [points] each quarter, that’s the whole point of the game.”
Forty-one year old Diana Taurasi led her team with 23 points on 8-of-14 from the field including seven made threes. As a team, the Mercury poured in 15 threes versus just six for the home team.
The team played with newcomers Kahleah Copper and Natasha Cloud for the first time while perennial all-star Brittney Griner missed the outing with a fractured left toe.
“She’s the GOAT,” Hammon said of Taurasi. “She’s always going to handle her business. Probably what’s impressed me most to this point is her ability to still be effective. Like how smart she is because she’s limited more physically than she’s ever been but the mind is still so sharp as a basketball player that she’s going to make reads and if you make a mistake she’s going to make you pay. She did plenty of that tonight.”
With Phoenix making its run in the middle quarters, guard Jackie Young chipped in with 10 of her 23 points in the third quarter. Fellow guard Kelsey Plum added 19 points.
“We still have a lot of work to do,” Wilson said. “I feel like Jackie went on a run and she got things going. KP, obviously, did what she needed to do [...] We still have to go back to the drawing board on some things.”
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