Las Vegas did not just beat Washington twice in three days. The Aces beat the Mystics in almost the same way.
Tuesday ended 86-76. Thursday ended 83-76.
Washington scored exactly 76 points in both games, and Las Vegas won the fourth quarter both times. That mattered to Becky Hammon because late-game execution has not always come easily for this team.
“It’s a couple of games now, back-to-back games, that we’ve won fourth quarters,” Hammon said. “That’s been a little bit of a struggle area for us. But I see our defense picking up. That’s the main thing.”
The second win also secured Las Vegas’ eighth straight playoff berth and improved the Aces to 24-11. More importantly for Hammon, it offered another example of a team finding different answers when a game tightened.
Fourth-quarter answers
Washington entered the two-game set riding a seven-game winning streak. The Aces ended it Tuesday, then had to beat the Mystics again 48 hours later.
That second task proved harder than the opening minutes suggested.
Las Vegas started fast, but Washington kept working back into the game. The Mystics eventually took their first lead late in the third quarter, then tied it at 62 with 6:47 remaining.
The Aces responded without losing control.
Jackie Young scored Las Vegas’ next 12 points after the tie. Her run included two 3-pointers, a strong finish at the rim and four free throws. The second 3 pushed the lead to 74-64 and gave Young a season-high 32 points.
That was the offensive answer. Hammon was more interested in what allowed the Aces to get there.
Washington shot 51 percent and scored 50 points in the paint. Shakira Austin finished with 29 points, while Sonia Citron added 17 points and eight assists.
Still, the Mystics finished with the same 76 points they scored Tuesday.
Hammon said defending Austin and Citron required a collective approach.
“She’s crafty,” Hammon said of Citron. “She’s a playmaker. She’s a three-level scorer. And then you have Shakira Austin setting a screen for you. That’s very tough action to guard.”
The Aces did not eliminate Washington’s best actions. Instead, they tried to keep the rest of the offense from joining in.
Hammon called for bigger shifts and more help. Las Vegas also forced 17 turnovers, turning enough possessions into empty trips to offset Washington’s shooting advantage.
The result was another fourth quarter Las Vegas could finish.
Hammon expands the toolbox
The Aces also changed how Washington saw them defensively.
Hammon mixed in several zone looks, including 2-3 and 3-2 alignments. The change was designed to make Washington’s high pick-and-roll less comfortable and more crowded.
“We were mixing up looks,” Hammon said. “I thought it made their pick action, which was really hurting us, those high pick-and-rolls, it helped us be more congested right off the jump being in the zone.”
The motivation was immediate.
“Man, I’m trying to win the game,” Hammon said.
But there was value beyond Thursday.
Hammon estimated Las Vegas used six, seven or eight possessions of zone. Each one gave the Aces another live-game rep with a coverage they may need later.
“We stole some possessions late with the zone,” Hammon said. “That’s starting to build a good base and a good toolbox for where we can use it later on.”
That distinction matters.
Las Vegas is not suddenly becoming a zone team. Hammon is adding another answer when a matchup demands one.
Washington’s high pick-and-roll had been causing problems. The Aces changed the picture rather than continuing to defend it the same way.
That adaptability is part of what Hammon has been searching for.
The first Washington win came with Las Vegas forcing 16 turnovers and scoring 26 points off them. Two nights later, the Mystics shot much better, but the Aces still found enough defensive disruption to keep the final score in the same range.
Different game. Similar result.
Loyd changes the spacing
The same flexibility appeared on offense.
Young carried Las Vegas early with 18 first-half points. Washington responded after halftime by increasing its physicality and making it harder for her to move freely.
Young took only one shot in the third quarter.
Hammon did not want the Aces forcing the game back toward her.
“These things come in waves,” Hammon said. “They’re going to make adjustments just like we do.”
That is where Las Vegas’ other options became important.
“The good news about this team is we don’t have to sit there and force-feed it,” Hammon said. “If they take something away, we go to the next option. We have a lot of options out there.”
For part of the third quarter, that next option was Jewell Loyd.
Loyd was scoreless until the final 2:48 of the period. Then she hit two 3-pointers in less than a minute.
Her first put Las Vegas back in front. Her second broke a 53-53 tie.
Loyd eventually finished with 13 points, all coming in the final 12:38.
Hammon wants the Aces creating those opportunities for her sooner.
“We want to hunt Jewell,” Hammon said. “Whenever we can get her going, and get her going from three especially, it gives a lot of space to everybody else.”
That spacing became important because Washington had already changed how it was guarding Young.
When Loyd started making shots, the Mystics had another scorer to account for. The floor opened again.
Loyd said the offense still began at the other end.
“Everything started with our defense,” Loyd said. “That’s how we got some open looks down the stretch.”
Then Young took the game back.
More than one answer
Young’s fourth quarter provided the cleanest example of what Hammon meant by moving to the next option.
Washington spent part of the second half taking her away. Loyd responded with two critical 3s. Then, when Young found space again, Las Vegas went right back to her.
She finished 10-for-14 from the field, made five 3-pointers and went 7-for-8 at the line. Her 32 points marked her first 30-point game of the season.
The sequence was less about one player dominating from start to finish than Las Vegas surviving the stretches when she could not.
That has been one of the larger challenges for the Aces. Leads have disappeared. Offense has stalled. Defensive coverages have been tested.
Against Washington, those problems still surfaced.
So did the answers.
Las Vegas changed coverages when the pick-and-roll became a problem. Loyd supplied shooting when Washington crowded Young. Young took over when the game tightened again.
And for the second time in three days, the Mystics finished with 76 points.
For Hammon, that may be the most encouraging part.
The Aces are not solving every game the same way. They are starting to build more ways to solve them.
Up next
The Aces host the Minnesota Lynx on Saturday, Aug. 15 at Michelob ULTRA Arena. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. PT on CBS.
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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.
