Longest win streak of season up to 7 games for Las Vegas

Las Vegas forward A'ja Wilson (#22) laughs with head coach Becky Hammon while at the scorer's table. Photo Credit: Las Vegas Aces

Securing a regular season sweep of the Dallas Wings ran the Las Vegas Aces’ longest win streak of the season to seven straight games.

Sunday afternoon, Las Vegas thumped Dallas, 106-87, from the Michelob Ultra Arena to complete a four-game regular season sweep.

“I think we’re learning how to win and what it takes to win,” head coach Becky Hammon said. “We know it’s always going to start on the defensive end with us.”

Entering play, the Aces were second in the Western Conference while being tied for fourth overall. With that standing, the team found itself a game behind the New York Liberty and a game and a half back of the Atlanta Dream for the next two spots in the standings.

Now sitting with a 21-14 overall record as part of this seven-game win streak, Las Vegas looks to continue its three-game homestand Tuesday in a potentially high-pressure situation.

The Aces will host the second-seeded Dream Tuesday, Aug. 19 from Michelob Ultra Arena. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.

“We weigh the good and the bad of it all,” forward A’ja Wilson said. “I think that’s why we feel so alive now because when we were in the trenches in earlier parts of the season, it wasn’t nothing funny to be joking about but we still found light in that.”

Wilson picked up her eighth 30-point game of the season which leads the WNBA. In addition, she moved into a tie with former teammate Angel McCoughtry for the second-most 30-point games in league history. It was a near-perfect start on both ends of the floor for the three-time league MVP. She tallied nine points on 4-for-4 shooting to go along with two blocks in the first quarter.

Aces forward A'ja Wilson takes a deep jumper while defended by Wings forward Myisha Hines-Allen. Photo Credit: Las Vegas Aces

“I think she’s shown great patience,” Hammon said. “Even when she’s scoring 30 [points], she’s playing the right way. She knows that’s what I’m most concerned with first and foremost.”

By halftime, Wilson was up to 18 points. She’d erupt for 14 more points in the third quarter on her way to 34 points on the night. Those 34 points came on 11-of-16 from the field coupled with eight rebounds, three blocks and two steals.

Wilson also did a lot of heavy-lifting from the line, going 11-for-14 from the charity stripe as well.

Las Vegas forward Kierstan Bell yells out after knocking down one of her six made three-pointers in a win against Dallas. Photo Credit: Las Vegas Aces

“Obviously, I would love to just make easy buckets for my teammates,” she said. “But sometimes that’s just not the way the flow of the game goes. But when the game gets stagnant we try to do the easy things and see what works. So for me, if that means me getting to the free throw line and getting fouled and just trying to put the ball in the hoop so we can see it go in then that’s what it’s going to take.”

While Wilson did work inside the paint, she was surrounded by plenty of successful shooters. As a team, the Aces tied a season-high with 18 made three-pointers for a 53% mark en route to the win.

In the first quarter, Las Vegas went 6-for-9 from beyond the arc. Those six makes were two more than the team’s four total against Phoenix last time out.

“The proof is in the pudding right,” Hammon said. “We’ve been passing more and it’s translated to more wins, it’s translated to more assists. When we play the right way and we have that point five mentality of good to great – sometimes you’ve got to pass it just to pass it. With that ball movement, at the end of the day, everybody will eat.”

Forward Kierstan Bell started the game with the three-point stroke going and it continued for the entire game. She racked up 18 points on six made threes on seven attempts for the most points she’s scored since tallying 19 against Dallas near the end of July.

“I’m really just grateful,” she said. “I guess I have something against Dallas because I always go off against them. But I just try to stay true to who I am and just continue to lean on my teammates.”

Reserve guard Jewell Loyd followed suit with four makes from deep including back-to-back treys to close the third quarter. Those consecutive longballs came after the Wings trimmed the once 16-point lead to single-digits.

Loyd ended the night with 12 points.

Aces guard Jewell Loyd looks to make a move in front of head coach Becky Hammon and the team bench. Photo Credit: Las Vegas Aces

“That’s been our M.O. since Jewell has joined us,” Wilson said. “She shows up every single day. Does it look like what the outside people want it to look like? No, it’s not going to look like that every single night. But what we see in the locker room, we know – when Jewell shoots, I think it’s going in.”

Midseason acquisition NaLyssa Smith duplicated the back-to-back three-ball performance in the fourth quarter to hit double-figures. In the win, she totaled 14 points on 50% shooting.

Guard Chelsea Gray was a maestro the entire night on her way to 10 points and 14 assists. The 14 assists ties both a career-high for the three-time champion but it also ties her with teammate Jackie Young for most in a single-game in franchise history.

“She’s someone that’s kept me ready, always,” Wilson said. “It’s huge [because] she did that with one turnover? Must be nice, man.”