Becky Hammon did not think the Las Vegas Aces needed much extra motivation Thursday night.
They were coming off a flat loss to New York. They had already been beaten twice by Dallas. And the last meeting against the Wings ended in a 30-point loss.
So, before the Aces beat Dallas 99-84 at Michelob ULTRA Arena, Hammon did not need to push every emotional button.
“I shouldn’t have to push too many buttons for this game,” Hammon said. “Coming off a not great loss to New York, and then Dallas thumped us pretty good down there.”
The response showed up fast. Las Vegas held Dallas to 17 first-quarter points, built control early and beat the Wings for the first time in three regular-season meetings.
Hammon called the start better, especially on defense.
“To hold that team, that’s a really offensively talented team, to 17 in the first quarter,” Hammon said. “Set a good tone for us.”
Defense flowed first
A’ja Wilson saw the same thing.
The Aces did not win because they turned the night into a scoring contest. They won because they finally made Dallas work.
“It was a win that we needed,” Wilson said. “It was a game that we knew we needed to buckle in.”
Wilson said the Wings had averaged 96 points against Las Vegas through the first two meetings. This time, Dallas finished with 84, shot 2-for-21 from three and had only three offensive rebounds.
“We just really had to buckle in on the defensive end,” Wilson said. “I think that’s what made us flow on the offensive end and why we were successful because we were playing out of our defense.”
That was the clearest difference from the earlier Dallas games. The Aces did not erase every problem, but they played connected for longer stretches.
Wilson said the defense felt “on a string.”
“That’s normally how you would see defense, great defensive teams,” Wilson said. “It just seems like everyone’s just kind of moving together.”
Gray reaches rare air
The night also carried a milestone for Chelsea Gray.
Gray passed 2,000 career assists and became the third player in league history to record at least 4,500 points and 2,000 assists. She finished with 12 points and nine assists.
Hammon said the number is special, even if it is hard to capture the full weight of it.
“She’s just elite, elite at what she does,” Hammon said. “She’s one of the most gifted passers I’ve ever seen, male or female. She just has that it factor.”
Hammon said Gray sees plays before they form. Sometimes, she added, even Gray’s teammates do not realize they are open until the ball arrives.
“You always have to keep your head on a swivel when you’re playing with her,” Hammon said. “Keep your hands ready. Because she’s going to drop it to you.”
Gray said the tight-window passes still carry a little risk.
“Basketball sometimes is like a moment of inches,” Gray said. “It’s centimeters. People are just so good, and you got to put it, the timing. It’s all about timing.”
Still, Gray enjoys that part of the job. Her milestone assist came on a pass to Wilson, though Gray said her favorite pass was not even an assist. It was a hook pass to Jackie Young that made the players laugh.
“That’s Chelsea,” Gray said. “She’s going to try something.”
Wilson in white
Wilson’s own night looked simple on the surface. It was not.
She scored 32 points on 12-for-21 shooting, added nine rebounds and went 8-for-11 at the free throw line. Hammon said Wilson’s efficiency came from her ability to study how teams guard her, then attack the right spots.
“She just finds a way to get into her spots,” Hammon said.
Then Hammon added the line that fit the night’s lighter side.
“I knew she was locked in,” Hammon said. “She came in her white tee, so I was like, we’re going to be good.”
Wilson laughed off the white T-shirt theory after the game.
“When I don’t feel like dressing, honestly,” Wilson said. “It’s really not. This is not even my shirt. It was the cleanest thing right now that I see.”
The production, though, was not casual. Wilson said making the game look easy takes constant work, especially when opponents throw different bodies and coverages at her.
“It’s extremely hard,” Wilson said. “I’m glad everyone thinks it looks easy. I put in the work to make sure that it can be as flawless as it can be.”
Bench answer
The Aces also got the bench lift they needed.
Las Vegas scored 31 bench points. Cheyenne Parker-Tyus had 13 points, three assists and two offensive rebounds. Kierstan Bell added 10 points on 4-for-4 shooting.
Hammon said Parker-Tyus’ offense matters, but her defense is what can keep her on the floor.
“She’s making some impactful plays defensively, which is what I’m really looking for more than the offense,” Hammon said.
Wilson gave the entire second unit credit.
“Our bench did really, really good tonight,” Wilson said. “They came in, they sustained, they did the little things and also they made big buckets for us.”
Gray also praised Parker-Tyus for staying ready through a changing role.
“It could be five minutes, it could be 17 minutes like tonight,” Gray said. “That’s a great sign of a really great vet.”
Still building
Hammon did not frame the win as a finished product.
Dallas still scored 52 points in the paint. Paige Bueckers had 25 points and six assists. Jessica Shepard added 22 points and 14 rebounds.
But the Aces held Dallas to 10 percent from three, won the glass 35-24 and avoided the huge Dallas run that had flipped earlier meetings.
“We’re still in process,” Hammon said. “As long as we’re moving in the right direction and we’re seeing improvements in areas, again, the biggest thing that I’m always harping on is just that consistency.”
For one night, Las Vegas found more of it.
And after two losses to Dallas, that mattered.
Up next
The Aces head to Chicago on Sunday to face the Sky at United Center. Tipoff is set for 10 a.m. PT on CBS and Paramount+.
Las Vegas enters at 13-5 after beating Dallas for the first time this season. Chicago enters at 5-12 after a 101-78 win over Portland, but the Sky have lost four of their last five. The game opens the season series between the teams.
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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.
