Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum (10) takes the ball past Washington Mystics guard Ariel Atkins (7) during the first half of an WNBA basketball game at Michelob Ultra Arena Thursday, July 4, 2024.
Published Thursday, July 4, 2024 | 8:55 p.m.
Updated Thursday, July 4, 2024 | 9:57 p.m.
The Las Vegas Aces shot an impressive 59% from the field as they rolled to a sixth straight win Thursday, defeating the Washington Mystics, 98-77 at Michelob Ultra Arena.
It's the best the Aces have shot from the field this season by 4%, and the 21-point win was their largest of the year. Their previous season-highs were two 19-point victories over Indiana.
"Earlier in the year, it was hard to have fun, but it needs to be a priority," Kelsey Plum said. "Tonight, it was just infectious. You could see it with everyone throughout the entire game."
Plum was red hot, finishing with a team-high 28 points and shooting 76% (10-of-13) from the field. It's the second straight game she has finished with 25+ points.
Jackie Young followed with 20 points and 10 assists for her fourth double-double of the season. She also recorded her 700th career assist.
"I'm just trying to make the right reads," Young said. "I want to make the right plays, just be aggressive and take care of the ball. I know whenever I come off a ball screen, there's gonna be a couple of different people open. It's just about making the right play and the easy play."
Young played a major role in the team's 31 total assists on the night, which is also a season high by six. Aces coach Becky Hammon said that it was her favorite stat of the night.
"The difference is what allows us to get out in space and get some easy ones in transition," Hammon said. "Those are easy assists and easy layups. Easy points. Those really helped us a lot. Not only that but it just changes the energy in the building."
One of the biggest plays of the night that ignited the 10,376 fans was a jump pass that Plum heaved to A'ja Wilson for an easy layup.
"I've learned from Chels (Chelsea Gray) you gotta look this way and throw that way," Plum said. "That was fun and shout out to A'ja (Wilson). A'ja has the best hands in the world. It's ridiculous. I threw that thing so hard."
Wilson finished with 18 points and 9 rebounds. She had just 8 points at halftime.
Kierstan Bell also logged her first minutes of the season. She had been out all season with a lower left leg injury. Bell finished with five points and a rebound.
The Aces were firing at all cylinders, draining 38-of-64 from the field and shot 47% (11-of-23) from 3-point range, the highest percentage they've shot in a game this season.
It's been a wild month for the Aces. 27 days ago, the losses were beginning to pile up. Now with Gray back, the team has rattled off six straight wins. Plum said that even in the low points earlier in the season, she never lost faith in what this team could do.
"If there's one thing I've learned in life..., can't get too high and I can't get to low," Plum said. "This team has been built throughout adversity. We've done it time and time again since we got here in 2018. I had all the faith in the world and each individual our coaching staff that we were just going to figure it out."
Las Vegas improves to 12-6 on the year. It travels to Los Angeles on Friday to take on the Sparks at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ION.
