The Las Vegas Aces did not have Chennedy Carter or Jewell Loyd on Tuesday night.
They still had A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray and enough defense to win on the road.
Las Vegas beat the Los Angeles Sparks 79-69 at crypto.com Arena in a WNBA Commissioner’s Cup game, using another strong defensive night to back up Sunday’s win at Golden State. The Aces held Los Angeles to 31% shooting and led for 89% of the game.
Wilson finished with 25 points, 15 rebounds, five blocks and three steals. Gray added 12 points, 11 assists, four rebounds and two steals, giving Las Vegas the ball control it needed while Carter and Loyd were unavailable.
Aces win short-handed
Before the game, Aces coach Becky Hammon said Carter and Loyd were both out, but she did not sound worried about either absence becoming a long-term issue.
Hammon said Loyd’s issue had been building and that it was time to give her rest. Carter’s injury, Hammon said, came from a fall in the previous game. She expected both players to be back “in the mix this next week.”
Carter had been one of the Aces’ best bench scorers early in the season. Hammon described her impact as “lots of points” and “very efficient points.” Without her and Loyd, Las Vegas had to find scoring and creation from a tighter group.
Wilson and Gray handled most of it.
Wilson controlled the interior, while Gray organized the offense and finished with only one turnover. Jackie Young also gave the Aces 16 points, nine assists and four rebounds.
Gray’s night also came with a milestone. The Aces announced during the game that Gray became the fourth player in WNBA history to reach 4,500 points, 1,000 rebounds, 1,500 assists and 100 blocks.
Defense carries again
The Aces led only 14-10 after one quarter, but the opening frame showed where the game was headed.
Las Vegas did not shoot well early, but it defended. The Aces held the Sparks to 23% shooting in the first quarter and 29% by halftime. Los Angeles never found a steady rhythm, especially with Kelsey Plum out because of a right ankle injury.
Plum scored 38 points in the Sparks’ previous win over the Aces. This time, Los Angeles had to look elsewhere.
Hammon warned before the game that Plum’s absence could not change the Aces’ approach.
“KP in or out shouldn’t change our gas pedal,” Hammon said. “We got to be about ourselves.”
That held up.
The Sparks shot 20-for-65 from the field and 6-for-23 from three. They got to the line 27 times, making 23, but they could not create enough from the floor to erase the gap.
Wilson anchors both ends
Wilson had 13 points and eight rebounds by halftime, then continued to own the paint.
By the end, she had another 20-point, 10-rebound game, plus five of the Aces’ eight blocks. Las Vegas also outrebounded Los Angeles 44-38 and outscored the Sparks 38-26 in the paint.
NaLyssa Smith added seven points and four rebounds before fouling trouble limited her minutes. Stephanie Talbot continued to give the Aces steady role-player production with eight points, six rebounds and two made threes.
Brianna Turner also gave Las Vegas important bench minutes, finishing with four rebounds, one block and a plus-16 rating without taking a shot.
Sparks cannot find enough offense
Rae Burrell led Los Angeles with 22 points on 8-for-14 shooting. Nneka Ogwumike added 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Erica Wheeler scored 10.
However, the Sparks did not get enough efficiency from the rest of the lineup. Dearica Hamby went 0-for-7 from the field, Ariel Atkins shot 2-for-13 and Cameron Brink finished 3-for-10 off the bench.
The Aces built a 15-point lead in the third quarter and carried a 64-51 advantage into the fourth. Los Angeles made a small push late, but Gray hit a 3-pointer with 1:13 left to push the lead back to 11. Smith then added a floating jumper in the final minute to close it out.
Up next
The Aces return home Saturday, June 6, against the Golden State Valkyries at Michelob ULTRA Arena.
Tipoff is scheduled for noon as Las Vegas looks for its first home win of the season.
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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.
