She is in a league of her own. A’ja Wilson scored a game-high 34 points and was a monster on the boards collecting 13 in the Las Vegas Aces’ 87-71 win over the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday.
Her most recent double-double is the 93rd of her outstanding six-year career. This accomplishment puts her in rare company, placing her 7th on the WNBA’s all-time list for double-doubles, with Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings holding the 6th spot at 96.
Led by Wilson’s impressive play, Las Vegas bounced back from their first loss since the Olympic break to the New York Liberty, snapping a two-game losing skid. At the same time, the Aces handed the Sparks their fourth consecutive loss. They are in a complete rebuild.
Wilson has been a model of consistency, also notching her 17th game of the season with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds, bringing her career total to 69, which ranks fifth in WNBA history. Former teammates Lisa Leslie and Candace Parker are tied for third place with 71 each.
The Aces star and frontrunner for the MVP award, surpassed her own single-season record of 16 games with 20 points and 10 rebounds, set in 2023. The Aces center has now achieved at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in eight straight games, setting yet another WNBA record.
She also matched the WNBA record for the most 30-point, 10-rebound games in a single season, previously set by Tina Charles.
Wilson extended her streak of consecutive games with double-digit scoring to 39, the longest active streak in the league and tied for the 23rd longest in WNBA history.
Wilson’s 13 rebounds bring her career total to 1,947, ranking 30th in WNBA history. The next player on the list is Tammy Sutton-Brown, who has 2,010 rebounds and holds the 29th spot.
The two-time WNBA MVP is putting up insane averages of 29.3 points, 14.4 rebounds, and 3.6 blocks per game, while not compromising her shooting efficiency of 53% from the floor (85 of 161) and 93.3% from the charity strike (56 of 60).
Embed from Getty ImagesIn the opening quarter it was a back-and-forth affair, with neither team leading by more than two possessions, with 7 lead changes and 5 ties. The Aces shot a red hot 57.1% from the field, while the Sparks could not hit the broad side of a barn, shooting an ice cold 35.7%. Los Angeles made 8 of 10 free throws, while Las Vegas hit 3 of 5. The Aces outscored the Sparks 12-4 in the paint, with A’ja Wilson leading with 9 points and four other Las Vegas players adding 3 points each.
Wilson’s jumper at 4:52 remaining in the first half, put the Aces ahead 33-31, and they did not surrender the lead from that point on. They pushed their lead to 38-31, with 3:20 left and went into halftime with a 7-point advantage.
In the third quarter, the Sparks kept fighting and managed to trim the deficit to 3 points twice, with their last attempt coming at the 3:13 mark. However, the Aces responded like the champions they are with a 10-2 surge to end the quarter.
The Aces kept their foot on the gas throughout the final frame, never letting it drop below 8 points. Wilson was perfect from the free-throw line, knocking down all 6 attempts, and scored 10 points during the period.
“I think today we took a lot of things personal because their wins — two of them (were against) us,” Wilson said, referring to the Aces’ previous close losses in Los Angeles on June 9 and July 5. “They were nail-biters, OTs … but that wasn’t us. It shouldn’t have ever been that way. So, I think we were all just very hungry in that sense.”
Los Angeles had previously defeated the two-time defending WNBA champion Aces in their last two meetings. However, Las Vegas avoided a third loss to the Sparks and evened the four-game regular-season series by limiting Los Angeles to 18 points or fewer in each of the final three quarters on Sunday.
Kelsey Plum sank four 3s and totaled 18 points, while Tiffany Hayes added 11 and Jackie Young contributed 10 for the Aces who now have a record of 17-9.
Rickea Jackson was the leading scorer for the struggling Sparks with 15 points. Dearica Hamby, who use to be a member of the Aces, did a little bit of everything, chipping in with 13 points, 11 rebounds, and four steals, and Kia Nurse added 12 points, with 10 of those coming in the first half.
Boxing legend Floyd Mayweather and Los Angeles Clippers coach Ty Lue watched courtside.
