Aces head into All-Star break with 88-74 win over Indiana

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Sunday, July 22, 2018 | 6:07 p.m.

The WNBA All-Star break is here, and the surging Las Vegas Aces find themselves right in the middle of the playoff picture.

The Aces’ 88-74 home win over the Indiana Fever on Sunday improved the team’s record to 12-13 on the season, leaving Las Vegas one game out of the eighth and final playoff spot as they break for nine days surrounding the league’s All-Star game on July 28.

Rookie center A’ja Wilson will make the first of many All-Star appearances on Saturday, and she was pivotal in the win over Indiana, scoring a game-high 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting. Kayla McBride scored 16 on 6-of-12 from the field, and Kelsey Plum and Carolyn Swords chipped in 12 apiece.

The Aces have won six of their last seven games, and they trail the eighth-place Connecticut Sun (13-12) by just one game for the final playoff spot. When the Aces reconvene for the second half, they’ll have nine games remaining to catch and pass the Sun.

Head coach Bill Laimbeer said the break is coming at an inopportune time for his team but acknowledged it could help some of his more overworked players.

“I wish the All-Star break wasn’t here,” Laimbeer said. “I wish we’d keep on playing. I do think we need it. I think we’re getting a little mentally tired at the moment because we’ve been pushing so hard and we’ve been focused so hard.”

The Aces relocated to Las Vegas from San Antonio in the offseason and lost their first four games to open the season. The team was 1-7 after a June 10 loss to the Phoenix Mercury, but the young squad has found its form in the last six weeks, going 11-6 on the backs of All-Stars Wilson and McBride.

Wilson said it will be important for the Aces to return from the break ready to battle for the playoffs.

“I think we are building some momentum,” Wilson said. “We’re six out of seven on this stretch right now, and that’s what we need. The break is kind of tough, of course, because we’re going to be away from each other and away from just being on the court, but I think that’s a part of it. When we come back we really have to be locked in because the season is going to fly by and we’re really trying to get into this playoff spot.”

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.