The Las Vegas Aces had heard enough about Dallas.
They had lost the first two regular-season meetings to the Wings, including a 30-point blowout in Dallas on June 15. They also entered Thursday trying to avoid back-to-back losses after falling to New York.
This time, Las Vegas gave the answer early and held it late. The Aces beat Dallas 99-84 at Michelob ULTRA Arena, improved to 13-5 and beat the Wings for the first time in three regular-season meetings.
Crap defense corrected
Becky Hammon did not dress up the matchup before tipoff.
Dallas had hurt the Aces with talent, execution and, in her words, “our crap defense.”
“Some of that is they’re great players, and some of that is our crap defense,” Hammon said. “So hopefully we come and play defense tonight. If we do, we’ll give ourselves a good shot to win, and if we don’t, we’ll get cleaned up again by 20.”
The Aces chose the first option.
Las Vegas forced eight Dallas turnovers before the second quarter was two minutes old and turned those mistakes into 14 points. The Wings shot 1-for-5 from three in the opening stretch, and the Aces led 35-20 with 8:13 left in the half.
That was the first real shift in a matchup Dallas had controlled twice.
Cushion held
The Aces did not fully shut Dallas down in the second quarter, but they kept control.
A’ja Wilson carried the scoring load with 16 points by halftime, including late free throws that pushed the lead back to double digits. Chelsea Gray helped steer the offense with five assists, while Jewell Loyd gave Las Vegas needed spacing with two first-half 3s.
Jessica Shepard kept Dallas connected with 13 points and eight rebounds by the break. Still, Las Vegas held the Wings to 2-for-9 from three, scored 14 points off turnovers and took a 49-39 lead into halftime.
Dallas had hurt the Aces with clean offense in the first two meetings. This time, the Wings had to work harder.
Lead trimmed
Dallas finally dented the cushion in the third quarter.
Shepard kept working inside and on the glass. Paige Bueckers stayed in rhythm. The Wings outscored Las Vegas 24-22 in the period and cut the margin to six late.
However, Wilson kept the Aces steady. She scored 10 points in the quarter and entered the fourth with 26 points and nine rebounds.
Jackie Young also hit one of the biggest shots of the period, a 3-pointer while being fouled with 1:33 left. Kierstan Bell then finished the quarter with a layup, helping Las Vegas take a 71-63 lead into the fourth.
The lead was smaller, but it was still intact.
Fourth shut
The Aces did not let Dallas make another push.
Las Vegas opened the fourth with a 7-0 burst, pushed the lead to 78-63 and forced a Wings timeout with 8:35 left. Gray scored twice in that stretch, and Bell knocked down a 3.
Wilson returned later and helped close the door. She scored on back-to-back inside finishes as the lead grew to 92-75.
Young added late free throws, then hit a 27-foot 3 that pushed the cushion to 20 in the final two minutes. Dallas had beaten Las Vegas with runs in the first two meetings. This time, the Aces were the team that finished stronger.
Bench mattered
The bench gave Las Vegas more than filler minutes.
Cheyenne Parker-Tyus gave the Aces 13 points, three assists and two offensive rebounds. Bell added 10 points on a perfect 4-for-4 night, including two 3s.
That mattered with the starters needing support and Dallas still getting production from Shepard and Bueckers. The Aces got 31 bench points, and those minutes helped keep the game from turning into another Dallas grind.
Wilson led Las Vegas with 32 points and nine rebounds. Young added 20 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Gray had 12 points and nine assists, while NaLyssa Smith finished with four points and 11 rebounds.
Problem slowed
Dallas still scored inside. The Wings finished with 52 paint points, and Shepard had 22 points, 14 rebounds and four assists.
Bueckers added 25 points and six assists. But the Aces made the rest harder.
Arike Ogunbowale finished with four points on 1-for-10 shooting. Azzi Fudd had seven points after hurting Las Vegas in the first two meetings. Dallas shot 2-for-21 from three and lost the glass 35-24.
Hammon said before the game that Bueckers had to be guarded by all five. That was the larger Dallas answer, too.
The Aces did not erase every problem. They did make Dallas play through more resistance.
For one night, that was enough to change the matchup.
Up next
The Aces head to Chicago on Sunday to face the Sky at United Center. Tipoff is set for 10 a.m.
Las Vegas enters at 13-5 after finally solving Dallas, while Chicago enters at 5-12. The game starts a short road swing before the Aces head to New York for the Commissioner’s Cup Championship Game.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Las Vegas Aces, 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.
