The Las Vegas Aces raised another championship banner Saturday night.
Then the Los Angeles Sparks made sure the celebration did not carry into the final score.
Los Angeles beat Las Vegas 101-95 at Michelob ULTRA Arena, turning the Aces’ first game of the season at “The House” into the kind of dogfight Becky Hammon warned about before tipoff.
“It’s going to be a closer game,” Hammon said before the game. “Watching them, they’re a better team than what we faced a couple weeks ago. Locked in, more organized on the defensive end. I think it’s going to be a dogfight today.”
She was right.
The Sparks shot 55% from the field, hit 14 of 29 from 3-point range and survived several Aces pushes behind a huge night from Kelsey Plum. Plum finished with 38 points, nine assists and four rebounds. She shot 12-for-17 from the field, 6-for-7 from 3-point range and 8-for-8 at the free-throw line.
The loss dropped Las Vegas to 4-2. Los Angeles improved to 2-3.
Sparks shoot their way into the night
Los Angeles came out firing.
The Sparks scored 32 points in the first quarter and shot 12-for-18 from the field. They also made six of their first nine 3-point attempts.
Plum led that early push with 14 first-quarter points on 5-for-6 shooting, including 4-for-4 from three. However, Las Vegas stayed close because Chennedy Carter answered almost immediately off the bench.
Carter checked in midway through the first quarter and gave the Aces the pace change they needed. She scored 10 points in the opening quarter and helped keep Las Vegas within 32-30 after one.
Carter keeps cooking
Carter continued her hot start with another strong bench game.
She finished with 23 points, three rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block in 26 minutes. She shot 8-for-13 from the field, 4-for-4 from 3-point range and 3-for-4 at the line. She also finished plus-15, the only Aces player with a positive plus-minus.
That mattered because the Aces needed every bit of her offense.
Before the game, Hammon said Carter gives Las Vegas “firepower off the bench” and pace. Carter gave them both again Saturday.
The Aces’ bench outscored the Sparks’ bench 35-10, with Carter and Jewell Loyd combining for 33 of those points. Loyd finished with 10 points and made three 3-pointers.
Smith gives Aces the muscle
NaLyssa Smith had one of the most important games of her young Aces season.
Smith finished with 22 points, nine rebounds, six offensive boards, two steals and one block. She shot 8-for-12 from the field and 5-for-7 at the line.
Her work showed up in key moments.
In the second quarter, Smith helped flip the game with offensive rebounds, free throws and physical finishes. Then, in the third, she hit a 3-pointer to give Las Vegas its biggest lead at 57-48.
However, the Sparks answered with a 13-0 run.
Smith stopped that run with a bucket and foul to tie the game at 60. Later, when Los Angeles opened the fourth on an 8-0 run, Smith ended that stretch with another offensive rebound and putback.
Smith kept being the Aces’ emergency brake. When the game started sliding toward Los Angeles, she found extra possessions.
Wilson fills the box score
A’ja Wilson did not have her cleanest shooting night, but she still filled the box score.
Wilson finished with 24 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, four blocks and two steals. She shot 8-for-20 from the field, 2-for-4 from 3-point range and 6-for-6 at the line.
Wilson went quiet as a scorer for a long stretch after a quick start. Still, she stayed active on the glass and at the rim.
Then, late in the third, Wilson started to find more offense. She hit a 3-pointer, scored inside and made two free throws to help the Aces take a 73-72 lead into the fourth.
The lead did not hold.
Sparks win the fourth
Los Angeles opened the fourth quarter with an 8-0 run and took an 80-73 lead.
The Aces fought back. Smith scored inside. Carter made free throws. Wilson and Chelsea Gray found late baskets. Gray tied the game at 90 with 3:19 left.
But the Sparks had more answers.
Ariel Atkins put Los Angeles back in front with a layup, and Plum followed with another basket to make it 94-90. Carter answered with a floater to cut it to 94-92. Then Wilson tied the game at 94 with two free throws at 1:36.
Erica Wheeler hit one of the biggest shots of the night from there, making a 26-foot 3-pointer with 1:15 left to put the Sparks ahead 97-94.
Las Vegas missed on the next possession. After a late review, officials overturned what first looked like a Loyd charge drawn on Dearica Hamby. Loyd was ruled to be in the restricted area, sending Hamby to the line.
Hamby made both free throws with 29.7 seconds left.
Carter split two free throws on the other end, and Plum added two more at the line. Wilson then turned the ball over with 15.5 seconds left, ending the Aces’ last real chance.
Young stays scoreless
Jackie Young went scoreless for the second straight game.
Young finished 0-for-2 from the field and 0-for-2 from 3-point range. She had three rebounds, two assists, one block and five fouls in 19 minutes.
Her scoring drought now stretches back through the Atlanta win and Saturday’s loss. Still, the bigger issue for Las Vegas was not one player’s quiet night. The Aces gave up 101 points, allowed 14 made threes and could not stop the Sparks’ final push.
Ceremony night ends with a loss
The result also continued an odd recent pattern for Las Vegas.
The Aces lost last season after Wilson received her MVP award. They also lost this year’s season opener after receiving their championship rings. Then, on Saturday, they lost again after raising their newest championship banner.
Still, that is not the main story. Instead, it is one more layer to the night.
Las Vegas had the ceremony, the sellout crowd and several strong individual performances. However, Los Angeles had the better closing stretch.
May 23, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; The Las Vegas Aces unveil their 2025 WNBA Championship banner before their game against the Los Angeles Sparks at Michelob Ultra Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images
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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.
