The Las Vegas Aces do not need a mystery answer for Dallas.
They already know what the answer looks like.
They showed it Sunday against Golden State, when they defended with force, took away the arc and made one of the league’s hotter teams uncomfortable. The Aces shot 62 percent, held the Valkyries to 5-for-30 from 3 and controlled the game early.
Las Vegas has to show that same standard against the one team it has not solved. Dallas has beaten the Aces twice in the regular season and once in the preseason. The preseason result does not carry the same weight, but the pattern still matters.
The Wings have made the Aces react.
Tonight, Las Vegas is not just trying to avoid back-to-back losses after Tuesday’s 87-76 defeat to New York. It is also trying to avoid a third straight regular-season loss to Dallas.
Dallas has receipts
The first two regular-season meetings were different games with the same message.
Dallas beat Las Vegas 95-87 on May 28, then followed with a 96-66 blowout on June 15. The Aces led by 13 in the first meeting, committed only five turnovers and still could not close the job.
The second meeting was worse. Las Vegas never led, trailed by as many as 30 and scored only 66 points.
That game left no room for spin.
After the loss, Becky Hammon was asked where the defense broke down.
“Pretty much everywhere,” Hammon said. “In the paint, pick-and-roll, at the 3-point line, mid-range. We didn’t defend anything tonight.”
The box score backed it up. Dallas shot 49 percent, made 10 3s, had 30 assists and committed only seven turnovers. That is not just good offense. That is comfort.
Against the Aces, Dallas has played with too much of it.
Shepard as the hinge
Jessica Shepard has been the center of the problem.
In the first regular-season meeting, Shepard had 22 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists. In the second, she had 15 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists.
Those numbers explain the matchup better than any single highlight. Shepard has not only scored or rebounded. She has organized the Wings.
When Las Vegas sends help, Shepard can pass. When the Aces stay home, she can score or get to the glass. When Dallas misses, she extends possessions. When the Wings need to settle, she gives them a hub.
The Aces cannot let her catch, survey and pick apart the floor again. They have to make her work through bodies and make Dallas’ guards play without easy rhythm.
Guards got loose
Dallas has also had too many guard answers.
Paige Bueckers had 20 points and six assists in the first win. Then she had 10 points, seven assists and no turnovers in the second. Azzi Fudd scored 22 in the first meeting and followed with 19 on 8-for-9 shooting.
Arike Ogunbowale did not need a big scoring game in the first meeting. Dallas still won. Then she scored 22 points with seven assists and no turnovers in the blowout.
That balance is the danger. Dallas does not need one player to solve the Aces every time.
The Wings can get Shepard in the middle, Fudd on clean looks, Bueckers as a connector and Ogunbowale as the closer. If Las Vegas is late to communicate, Dallas has already shown it will turn those cracks into runs.
That is where the Golden State game matters. Against the Valkyries, the Aces dictated. Against Dallas, they have mostly responded.
Offense must help
Defense is the first answer, but it cannot be the only one.
Hammon said after the New York loss that the offense also has to help the defense. The Aces missed shots, missed chances to attack and had to chase for most of the night.
“We missed some layups, missed some good looks,” Hammon said. “That happens.”
Then she pointed to the next layer.
“The ball has to move first,” Hammon said.
That line applies to Dallas, too. In the June 15 loss, Chelsea Gray had nine assists but did not score. Jackie Young went 3-for-13. The Aces shot 5-for-21 from 3.
A’ja Wilson had 18 points, but Las Vegas never made Dallas defend enough threats.
In the first meeting, Wilson scored 21, Young had 15 and Gray had eight assists. Still, the Aces went 7-for-12 at the free throw line and lost the glass 39-33.
The Aces need pressure from more spots. Gray has to make Dallas guard her. Young has to turn playmaking into efficient scoring. Jewell Loyd has to matter. And Wilson cannot be left to rescue broken possessions.
Defense first
Wilson already said the quiet part after the Dallas blowout.
“We play out of our defense,” Wilson said. “We just have to be disciplined in it, from top to bottom, all over the court.”
She also warned what happens if that does not change.
“If our defense doesn’t change, if we don’t get better on the defensive end, the L’s are just going to start racking up,” Wilson said. “Point blank, period.”
That warning carries more weight now. The Aces just lost to New York, a game Hammon called a learning point. They usually respond well after losses, but Dallas has been a different test.
Hammon said after the Liberty game that the Aces’ urgency grew only once the loss felt near.
“We need that from the jump,” Hammon said.
That is the Dallas checklist.
Pressure Shepard early. Run Fudd and Ogunbowale off clean looks. Make Bueckers handle contact and crowds. Finish possessions on the glass. Move the ball before attacking. Defend first, then run offense out of stops.
Dallas has shown the Aces their problem areas twice.
Tonight gives Las Vegas another chance to show it has learned the answer.
Up next
The Aces stay home Thursday for another meeting with the Dallas Wings at Michelob ULTRA Arena. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. PT on NBA TV, Vegas 34 and KFAA-TV.
Dallas enters at 11-6 after a 112-110 overtime win over Seattle, led by Paige Bueckers’ 27 points. The Wings are 7-3 over their last 10 games and bring one of the league’s steadier offenses into Las Vegas, averaging 89.4 points per game. The Aces enter at 12-5 and will look to avoid back-to-back losses while cutting into a season series Dallas already leads 2-0.
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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.
