The Aces go to Los Angeles on Tuesday with the reset button finally working. After Becky Hammon earned career win No. 150 in Sunday’s 91-81 win over the Golden State Valkyries, Las Vegas watched the West tighten again Monday night. Because of that crowd in the standings, every head-to-head is already tiebreak season.
Aces-Sparks, round 3 comes with a reminder
Las Vegas and Los Angeles have split the first two meetings, so Tuesday is the early swing game. First, the Aces hammered the Sparks 105-78 at crypto.com Arena on May 10. However, Los Angeles answered on May 23 with a 101-95 win in Vegas after Las Vegas could not hold the lead.
In that first meeting in LA, the Aces were sharp from the start. They shot 43-for-69 and jumped ahead 29-14 after one quarter. Jackie Young had 20 points and 9 assists, while Chennedy Carter scored 22 off the bench. A’ja Wilson added 19, and NaLyssa Smith went 5-for-5 from the field.
On the other side, Kelsey Plum scored 27 points and Nneka Ogwumike posted 19 points and 10 rebounds in the opener. This time, the matchup could shift if Plum remains out with an ankle injury. Meanwhile, the Aces are also monitoring a couple of guards.
Dallas clamped Seattle
Dallas beat Seattle 79-56 in Commissioner’s Cup play, and the Storm never found air. Seattle shot 33% and went 4-for-19 from 3. On top of that, the Storm committed 17 turnovers.
Flau’jae Johnson led Seattle with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Natisha Hiedeman scored 11, but Dallas controlled the glass 48-36 and kept the game on its terms.
Off the bench, Aziaha James supplied the cleanest punch with 18 points on 7-for-14 shooting. Paige Bueckers finished with 10 points, 7 assists, and 9 rebounds as the Wings improved to 6-3.
Minnesota flattened Phoenix
In the other Commissioner’s Cup game, Minnesota buried Phoenix 111-77, scoring 67 before halftime and shooting 64% for the night. Even more, the Lynx hit 10 of 17 from 3 and went 13-for-13 at the line.
Courtney Williams scored 30 points on 13-for-20 shooting and went 3-for-3 from deep. Olivia Miles added 19 points and 9 assists while shooting 7-for-9, and Minnesota piled up 27 assists with only 11 turnovers.
Kahleah Copper scored 18 for Phoenix. Although the Mercury hit 10 3s, the game was already gone.
Standings watch
Minnesota leads the West at 7-2, and Dallas is right behind at 6-3. Las Vegas and Golden State are both 5-3, while Portland sits at 6-4 and Los Angeles is 4-4.
For Vegas fans, that is the whole point. The middle of the conference is packed, so Tuesday in LA is not just another road game.
Up next
Tuesday’s slate: Connecticut at Atlanta at 4:30 p.m. PT, Chicago at Washington at 4:30 p.m. PT, Portland at Golden State Valkyries at 7:00 p.m. PT, and Aces at Los Angeles at 7:00 p.m. PT on WNBA League Pass.
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Hammon hits 150 wins as Aces answer with defense at Golden State
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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.
