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Las Vegas did everything in its power to avoid a second three-game losing streak in the last two months as part of the backend of a back-to-back.
The Aces dumped the Los Angeles Sparks, 87-71, Sunday, Aug. 18 from the Michelob Ultra Arena to put an end to the two-game losing streak. It’s only the second back-to-back played by the reigning two-time league champions.
In the team’s lone showing in back-to-backs, it was beaten by this same LA team by five in overtime. With the win, the season series is finished with both sides claiming two wins apiece.
“Today we took a lot of things personal,” forward A’ja Wilson said. “Because of their wins, two of them are on us. Yeah they were nail-biters, went into [overtime] or whatever but that wasn’t us. It shouldn’t have ever been that way.”
In addition, Sunday’s meeting marked the first matchup between the two teams since former Las Vegas
forward and current LA all-star Dearica Hamby was granted the right to sue by a federal agency. Hamby was traded from the Aces to the Sparks before the start of last season while she was pregnant with her son Legend.
“I’ve been in either the NBA or the WNBA for now 25 years,” head coach Becky Hammon said. “I’ve never had a [Human Resource] complaint. Never not once – I still don’t actually because Dearica didn’t file any. She didn’t file with the player’s union, she didn’t file with the WNBA, those are facts.
“I spoke with her everyday. If she wanted to practice, she practiced. If she didn’t, she didn’t. [There was] over-the-top care actually, over-the-top care. That’s the facts.”
Las Vegas gets back to action Wednesday, Aug. 21 from the Michelob Ultra Arena against Minnesota. That contest is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and will wrap up a three-game homestand for the two-time reigning champions.
Unlike her first season away from the Aces franchise, Hamby was booed from the first time she touched the ball. The boos grew even louder the first time she was called for a foul.
Hamby went scoreless nearly the entire first quarter with her first points coming with about 45 seconds left in the frame. She’d finish the night with 13 points on 12 field goal attempts to go along with 11 rebounds.
Through the first three meetings this year, she averaged 25 points per contest with 11 rebounds to accompany them.
Oftentimes matched up with Hamby, Wilson posted another monster double-double with 34 points and 13 rebounds. At several points during the second half, Wilson could be seen very reactionary following converted and-ones.
“I love those types of back-breaker plays,” Wilson said. “And I get tired of people doing back-breaker plays on us. So it felt good to kind of have that flipped.”
Wilson was at the heart of a third quarter lineup that fought off a feverous comeback from Los Angeles. A once 12-point lead was trimmed to three before back-to-back buckets from guard Sydney Colson and Wilson.
Las Vegas led the entire second half.
“I was pleading and tooting Syd’s horn last game,” Wilson said. “I felt like she should’ve played [against] New York a little bit. So I was very glad that the showing that she had today was something that we really needed.”
Starting guards Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young combined to score 28 total points with six made threes en route to the win. As a team, the group shot close to 50% from the field with a 44%-mark from downtown.
Guard Tiffany Hayes chipped in with 11 points in 23-plus bench minutes while working around foul trouble. Just four minutes into her night, she picked up two quick fouls but Hammon opted to keep the veteran on the floor.
“Maybe she gets a night where she gets 30 or 35 points but that’s really not her role,” Hammon said. “There’s times where she’s going to play 20-25 minutes, I like her in that spot – I like her to be explosive and playing hard so if she gets a couple of fouls it's fine.
“Not only that, I like the physicality and some of the stir-it-up factor and dog factor. I’m okay with a foul here and there.”
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