The Aces almost let the road trip slip away in the final minutes.
Chelsea Gray made sure they did not.
Gray hit the go-ahead jumper with 3.6 seconds left, then stole the ball from Allisha Gray with 0.7 seconds remaining as the Las Vegas Aces escaped Atlanta with an 85-84 win over the Dream on Sunday morning at State Farm Arena.
The win completed a perfect four-game road swing for Las Vegas, which moved to 4-1 overall and 4-0 away from home after wins at Los Angeles, Connecticut twice and Atlanta.
It should not have been this hard after the Aces led by 19 and carried a 75-63 lead into the fourth quarter. But Atlanta ripped off a 16-0 run, turned a 17-point deficit into a one-point lead and forced Las Vegas to win the game again.
Gray did exactly that.
Gray closes it
Gray finished with 21 points, six assists, five rebounds, one block and one steal. She shot 8-for-13 from the field and 5-for-8 from 3-point range.
Her final basket came after one of the strangest winning sequences of the Aces’ early season.
Jackie Young, scoreless all morning, missed a pullup jumper with 12.5 seconds left. Instead of the miss ending the possession, Young chased the ball down, fought for it on the floor and forced a jump ball with 8.5 seconds remaining.
Young won the jump against Allisha Gray, with Stephanie Talbot gaining possession. Talbot then found Chelsea Gray, who made a 12-foot pullup jumper with 3.6 seconds left to put Las Vegas ahead 85-84.
Atlanta still had one last chance. Chelsea Gray ended it herself, stealing the ball from Allisha Gray with 0.7 seconds left.
That was the game.
A fourth-quarter mess
The Aces led 81-64 after Jewell Loyd made a free throw with 7:57 left. Then the offense disappeared.
Atlanta answered with a 16-0 run, getting points from Allisha Gray, Naz Hillmon, Madina Okot and Te-Hina Paopao. Paopao’s 3-pointer with 2:16 left cut the Aces’ lead to 81-80.
A’ja Wilson finally stopped the run with a driving layup, but Atlanta kept coming. Allisha Gray hit two free throws to make it 83-82, then Jordin Canada stole the ball from Wilson and scored a running layup to give Atlanta an 84-83 lead with 36.5 seconds left.
The Aces had led almost all day. Suddenly, they needed a final answer.
They got it from Chelsea Gray, with Young and Talbot doing the work that made the shot possible.
Carter and Wilson carry the middle
Chennedy Carter continued her strong start with 20 points, three assists and two rebounds off the bench. She shot 7-for-13 from the field, 1-for-2 from 3-point range and 5-for-5 at the line.
Becky Hammon said before the game that Carter’s efficiency was “off the charts” and praised her speed, passing and defense. Carter again gave Las Vegas the downhill pressure it needed, especially during the middle portions of the game.
Wilson followed her 45-point night in Connecticut with another efficient line, finishing with 20 points, six rebounds, two blocks and one assist. She shot 6-for-12 from the field, 2-for-2 from 3-point range and 6-for-7 at the free-throw line.
Wilson also had five fouls and four turnovers, including the late turnover that briefly put Atlanta in front. But she gave Las Vegas steady scoring before the late chaos and continued to stretch the floor after Hammon said she wants her taking more threes.
NaLyssa Smith added 13 points and six rebounds, shooting 6-for-7 from the field.
Young’s scoreless winning play
Young finished scoreless on 0-for-12 shooting, including 0-for-5 from 3-point range. But she still had seven rebounds, seven assists, two steals and two blocks, and her late hustle changed the ending.
Young has been held scoreless before in regular-season play, but the known examples came during her 2019 rookie season, and both were also Aces wins. Sunday added another version of that theme: Young did not score, but she still helped Las Vegas win.
Her dive for the loose ball, jump-ball win and role in the final possession mattered as much as any made basket.
Dream make it ugly
Atlanta made the game difficult by controlling the glass and living at the free-throw line.
The Dream outrebounded the Aces 45-38, grabbed 11 offensive rebounds and attempted 37 free throws. Las Vegas went 13-for-17 at the line, while Atlanta finished 25-for-37.
Allisha Gray led the Dream with 25 points and nine rebounds. Paopao added 19 points, including four 3-pointers. Okot gave Atlanta a major bench lift with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Canada finished with 11 points, five assists and seven steals, including the late steal and layup that gave Atlanta its only lead of the closing minute. Angel Reese had nine points, eight rebounds, three assists, one block and eight turnovers.
Atlanta shot just 37% from the field and 22% from 3-point range, but the Dream’s rebounding, free throws and pressure turned the fourth quarter into a thriller.
Perfect road trip
Las Vegas shot 42% from the field and 37% from 3-point range. The Aces had 21 assists, 13 turnovers, eight blocks and five steals.
It was not clean. It was not comfortable. But it was enough.
The Aces started the road trip by beating the Sparks in Los Angeles, then swept two games in Connecticut, including Wilson’s historic 45-point performance Friday. Sunday’s win in Atlanta gave Las Vegas a perfect trip and showed a different kind of road toughness.
The first three wins had cleaner stretches. This one needed saving.
Gray provided it.
Up next
The Aces return home Saturday, May 23, for their first game of the season at Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay. Las Vegas hosts the Los Angeles Sparks at 5 p.m. on CBS and Paramount+.
The game also brings the Aces’ newest championship celebration home. Las Vegas is scheduled to raise its latest championship banner before tipoff, and the first 7,500 fans will receive a replica championship banner.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, Athletics, and UNLV baseball and softball. He has 24 years of journalism experience, is also a senior reporter at Exhibit City News, and previously covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. Follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.
