The Las Vegas Aces spent most of Saturday night in control.
Olivia Miles almost took it from them anyway.
In a matchup between two of the WNBA’s best teams, the Aces survived a wild final minute and beat the Minnesota Lynx 100-97 in Commissioner’s Cup play at Michelob ULTRA Arena.
A’ja Wilson made two go-ahead free throws with 20.5 seconds left, Chelsea Gray grabbed the final defensive rebound and Las Vegas held on after Miles missed a late 3-pointer that could have put Minnesota back in front.
The win moved Las Vegas to 10-3 and kept the Aces unbeaten in Commissioner’s Cup play. Minnesota dropped to 10-3 and lost on the road for the first time this season.
A crowd of 10,330 went home happy after watching a game that lived up to its billing.
Before the game, Aces coach Becky Hammon did not force the rivalry label. She called it something cleaner.
“I think it’s just great competition,” Hammon said. “People want to see the best teams go at it. It’s special when you get it in the regular season.”
That is what it was.
Gray stays hot
Chelsea Gray entered Saturday two days removed from tying the WNBA single-game record with nine 3-pointers in Portland.
She did not cool off much.
Gray scored 23 points, added seven assists and went 6-for-10 from 3-point range against the Lynx. She opened the game with four 3-pointers in the first quarter, helping Las Vegas build a 32-21 lead after one.
By halftime, Gray had 16 points and five assists. By the end, she had made 15 3-pointers over two games.
The last rebound mattered as much as any shot.
After Miles missed a step-back 3 with seven seconds left, Gray pulled down the defensive rebound, was fouled and made both free throws with 3.5 seconds left to seal the win.
Gray’s final two free throws gave Las Vegas a 100-97 lead. Courtney Williams missed a long shot before the buzzer, and the Aces escaped.
Miles nearly steals it
Miles was scoreless in the first quarter. Then she nearly took over the game.
The rookie guard finished with 29 points on 11-for-20 shooting, including 3-for-6 from 3-point range. She scored 13 in the second quarter, helping Minnesota cut a 15-point Las Vegas lead to 57-51 at halftime.
She was even bigger late.
After Natasha Howard fouled out with 2:36 left, Jackie Young made two free throws to put the Aces ahead 91-87. Miles answered with a bucket. Then, after Wilson blocked a Minnesota shot and hit a jumper from the free-throw line to make it 93-89, Miles kept coming.
She went right at Wilson for a basket. Then she attacked Wilson again, finished through contact and made the free throw to give Minnesota a 94-93 lead with 48 seconds left.
Jewell Loyd answered by drawing a foul on a 3-point attempt. After the Lynx challenged and the call stood, Loyd made all three free throws to put Las Vegas back ahead 96-94.
Miles responded with the biggest shot of her night, a step-back 3 with 24.5 seconds left that gave Minnesota a 97-96 lead.
Wilson answered at the line. Miles got one more look. This time, it missed.
Wilson answers late
Wilson finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and two steals. She shot 9-for-15 from the field and 5-for-6 from the free-throw line.
Her biggest stretch came in the final two minutes.
With Las Vegas leading 91-89, Wilson blocked a Courtney Williams jumper, grabbed the rebound and later hit a 15-foot jumper to push the lead to 93-89 with 1:24 left.
Miles answered twice to put Minnesota ahead, but Wilson still had one more response.
With the Aces trailing 97-96, Wilson drew a foul and made both free throws with 20.5 seconds left to put Las Vegas back in front for good.
It was not a clean close. It was not comfortable. But it was enough.
Young, Loyd deliver in fourth
Young had a slow offensive start, but she finished with 16 points, 10 assists and five rebounds.
Her first basket came on a 3-pointer late in the second quarter. In the third, she helped steady the Aces after Minnesota cut the lead to 67-63. In the fourth, she kept finding teammates and made the two free throws after Howard fouled out.
Loyd’s box score was modest, but her fourth quarter was not.
She finished with nine points, all in the final period. Her back-to-back 3-pointers early in the fourth gave Las Vegas needed separation as Minnesota pounded the offensive glass. Then her three free throws with 44.3 seconds left put the Aces back ahead during the final-minute scramble.
NaLyssa Smith added 15 points and six rebounds on 7-for-9 shooting. Cheyenne Parker-Tyus gave Las Vegas a strong bench lift with nine points on 4-for-6 shooting.
Lynx keep coming
Minnesota looked overmatched early, but not for long.
The Lynx won the second quarter 30-25, cut the lead to four in the third and kept coming in the fourth behind Miles, Howard and Kayla McBride.
Howard had 22 points, nine rebounds, four steals and five offensive rebounds before fouling out. McBride added 19 points and five assists. Williams finished with 17 points, five rebounds and four assists.
The Lynx shot 49 percent from the field and made 9 of 21 from 3-point range. They also matched the Aces with 42 points in the paint and 11 offensive rebounds.
Hammon said before the game that Minnesota’s system makes the Lynx hard to handle because they play with discipline and move the ball.
“Ball movement is the hardest thing to defend, and they move it better than anybody,” Hammon said. “So it’s hard to catch up to the ball.”
Las Vegas caught up just enough.
The Aces shot 54 percent from the field, made 11 of 25 from 3-point range and had 24 assists on 36 made baskets. They also turned Minnesota’s 11 turnovers into 18 points.
Cup race shifts
The win gives Las Vegas control of the Western Conference side of the Commissioner’s Cup race.
The Aces are now 5-0 in Cup play after wins over Los Angeles, Golden State, Seattle, Portland and Minnesota. The Lynx entered the night unbeaten in Cup play but dropped to 4-1.
For Las Vegas, the victory was more than a standings result.
It was a response to a top team. It was another huge Gray shooting night. It was Wilson delivering on both ends late. It was Young and Loyd making pressure plays. And it was the kind of regular-season game that felt bigger than June.
The Aces visit the Dallas Wings on Monday at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas.
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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.
