Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson (22) warms up prior to a WNBA basketball game against the Dallas Wings at Michelob Ultra Arena Wednesday, July 5, 2023.
Published Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023 | 7:08 p.m.
Updated Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023 | 9:35 p.m.
There's at least one constant for the Las Vegas Aces when they've lost a game this season: They've found a way to bounce back, and do so emphatically.
Tuesday was no exception.
Following their worst loss of the season in Brooklyn on Sunday, the Aces rebounded for a 104-84 win over the Dallas Wings at College Park Center in Dallas in a game where they led by as many as 41 points.
A'ja Wilson had a game-high 28 points and 14 rebounds on her 27th birthday, as the Aces rebounded after a 99-61 loss to the New York Liberty at Barclays Center in a battle of the top two teams in the WNBA.
"We were uncharacteristically bad the other day," coach Becky Hammon said. "I know who these women are on the inside. Not surprised the way they came out focused, especially on the defensive end."
Wilson was one of five Aces players to score in double figures. Kelsey Plum finished with 20 points, and Jackie Young had 18 points to go with seven rebounds and six assists to help pace an Aces offense that shot 50% from the floor and made 16 of 32 3-point attempts.
Bouncing back after a poor effort, though, is something that Hammon has come to expect from her group. Not only have the Aces won following each of their three losses, but they've done so by double digits. Following the 94-77 loss at Connecticut on June 8, the Aces won 93-80 against Chicago; they beat Minnesota 113-89 after losing to Dallas in that same building, 80-78, on July 8.
Each of those wins have kickstarted a winning streak of at least seven games, which has propelled the Aces to a league-best 25-3 mark and closing in on the best start through 30 games in WNBA history set by the 1998 Houston Comets.
"I can't really take any carry-over from the last game, because they beat us pretty bad," Wilson said.
Hammon said Sunday that it's good for her group to get "an a-- whooping" every now and then, and Sunday was no different no matter the magnitude of the game in what could've been a WNBA Finals preview.
But the Aces were tasked for putting that lackluster effort behind them quickly to prepare for a Dallas team that has arguable given them more fits than any other team in the league this season, primarily due to the Wings' size in the front court.
Whatever problems surfaced in the prior matchups weren't evident this time around.
The Aces started the game on a 16-0 run, and the Wings didn't score their first points until 4:25 remaining in the quarter. They stormed their way through the first half with a 54-26 lead and held Dallas to 22% shooting.
"Just getting defensive stops," Young said. "When we're getting stops, we're able to play out of our defense and get easy buckets in transition."
Even more surprising was the Aces' defensive effort came while playing zone, something they haven't done all season. Hammon changed it up from the opening tip and it worked. The Aces outrebounded the Wings 45-30 with 11 of them on the offensive glass.
The Aces grabbed that 28-point halftime lead despite Wilson shooting 4 of 12 in the first 20 minutes. She took over in the third quarter with 19 points, making all six field goal attempts and seven free throws.
Wilson finished 10 of 18 shooting and recorded the 71st double-double of her career, in which she continues to set marks despite just now turning 27 years old. Though Wilson won't admit it herself, the elbow to the head she took from New York's Jonquel Jones in the first quarter on Sunday played a role in her rough shooting night.
It was just the ninth time she failed to reach double figures in scoring in a regular season game in her career. In the following games, she's averaged 20.4 points and 8.9 rebounds.
Hammon had no doubt that Wilson was going to bounce back and play like the MVP that she is. Wilson's 24-hour rule of moving on from a bad game also helps that mentality, which can only get better as she gets better with age.
"That shot she took ... she's tough, and when she stays down and she's moaning, I'm very concerned," Hammon said. "It got her off her rocker, but this is a classic example she's putting up those numbers in 24 minutes. She's not even playing the majority of the fourth quarter and she's getting 28 and 14. Just really, really efficient at both ends."
Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on Twitter at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.
