Aces head coach Becky Hammon called Minnesota “the ultimate measuring stick” before Saturday’s game. Las Vegas pushed that measuring stick for most of the night, but the Lynx had more answers when the margins narrowed.
Minnesota beat the Aces 92-87 on Saturday, Aug. 15, at Michelob ULTRA Arena, taking the season series 2-1. A’ja Wilson scored 32 points, while NaLyssa Smith added 17 points and 12 rebounds. However, Minnesota’s balance and timely 3-point shooting repeatedly stopped Las Vegas from completing its comeback.
Cold finish
Las Vegas opened with good ball movement and early defensive pressure. Wilson scored nine points, including a 3 that briefly put the Aces back in front. Jackie Young also created five assists in the quarter and turned an early steal on Olivia Miles into a Smith basket.
The shots did not keep falling. Las Vegas finished the quarter at 39 percent from the field and 2-for-7 from 3. Minnesota shot 56 percent and controlled the glass 11-6.
Natasha Howard and Miles each scored early, and the Lynx closed the quarter with a 23-19 lead. Wilson also recorded a block in the period, giving her 600 for her career.
Smith keeps it steady
Minnesota stretched its lead to seven early in the second, but Smith kept Las Vegas connected while the rest of the offense found its rhythm. She scored off an offensive rebound, finished a long Chelsea Gray pass and later converted another basket off a Wilson assist.
Smith reached halftime with nine points and six rebounds, including four offensive boards. Her work inside gave Las Vegas a reliable answer while Minnesota continued shooting efficiently.
Then the rest of the offense joined her. Mai Yamamoto banked in a high-arcing 3, then came up with a steal that led to a Wilson basket. Young hit two 3s, while Gray repeatedly found Wilson on cuts and rolls to the rim.
Gray was particularly sharp as a distributor. She reached halftime with seven assists and no turnovers, helping Las Vegas build a 15-8 assist advantage.
The Aces won the quarter 29-25 and went to halftime tied at 48. Minnesota was still shooting 56 percent, but Las Vegas had climbed to 53 percent and committed only three turnovers.
The first-half numbers also showed Smith’s value. Minnesota led the overall rebounding battle 17-13, but Las Vegas had five offensive rebounds. Four belonged to Smith.
Third-quarter swing
The game changed immediately after halftime.
Minnesota opened the third on a 14-4 run, turning a tie game into a 62-52 lead. Las Vegas struggled to finish possessions, while the Lynx started finding the perimeter shots Hammon had emphasized before tipoff.
“One of our major points is probably just to defend the 3-point line well,” Hammon said pregame. “I think they’ve gotten way too many easy looks at the 3-point line.”
That concern became central to the quarter. Wilson almost dragged Las Vegas back by herself, scoring through contact off an offensive rebound, completing the three-point play and repeatedly getting to the free throw line.
Gray had a jumper rattle in and out during the cold stretch, fitting the tone of the quarter. Still, Wilson kept attacking.
Jewell Loyd finally broke through with a 28-foot 3 as the shot clock expired, cutting Minnesota’s lead to 64-62. Wilson followed with two more free throws to make it 66-64 with 1:16 left.
Las Vegas had nearly erased the entire deficit. Then Nia Coffey changed the ending.
Coffey drilled back-to-back 3s in the final minute. Young committed two late turnovers, while Minnesota added two Miles free throws with three seconds left.
Instead of entering the fourth within one possession, Las Vegas trailed 74-64. Minnesota won the quarter 26-16 and was shooting 47 percent from 3 through three periods.
One more push
The Aces opened the fourth without Wilson and Young, but the mixed lineup immediately gave them life. Loyd scored to start the quarter and helped force a shot-clock violation. Minnesota turned it over again moments later, then Yamamoto knocked down a 3.
Gray found Smith inside to make it 74-71, then hit a pull-up jumper after another defensive stop. Suddenly, a 10-point deficit was down to one.
Minnesota responded like the league’s top team.
Napheesa Collier hit consecutive 3s, the second from 27 feet, and pushed the lead back to 80-73. Hammon brought Wilson and Young back after the timeout.
The Aces kept chasing. Smith scored off another offensive rebound and later made two free throws, completing a double-double. She finished with nine offensive rebounds among her 12 total.
Wilson kept producing too, but Minnesota had answers throughout its lineup. Miles drove for two baskets during the closing stretch and finished with 23 points and eight assists.
Collier scored 19. Howard had 13 points and 11 rebounds. Kayla McBride added 13, Courtney Williams had 12 and Coffey scored 12 off the bench.
Six Lynx players reached double figures.
Las Vegas did not have the same balance. Wilson and Smith carried much of the scoring load, while Young finished with eight points on 3-for-11 shooting. She still had nine assists but committed six turnovers.
Loyd eventually found some offense and scored 10 points. Her 3 with 2:41 left cut Minnesota’s lead to 86-82.
The Aces had another chance after Wilson made two free throws to pull within 88-84. Stephanie Talbot then came up with a steal with less than a minute left, but missed the ensuing 3.
Gray gave Las Vegas one final opening with a 3 that made it 90-87 with 11.3 seconds left. Collier answered with two free throws, then the Aces turned the ball over on the inbound.
Minnesota had survived another push.
The Lynx shot 50 percent overall and 42 percent from 3. Las Vegas shot 45 percent and went 9-for-28 from deep.
Before the game, Hammon said Minnesota would offer a useful look at where the Aces stood.
“They’ve been the best team all year,” Hammon said. “They play with the consistency that great teams have to play with.”
Las Vegas showed it could stay with that standard. The Aces erased one deficit, nearly erased another and received big nights from Wilson and Smith.
But each time the game threatened to turn, Minnesota found another scorer, another 3 or another answer.
Up next
The Aces host the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday, Aug. 18, at Michelob ULTRA Arena. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. PT on ESPN.
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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.
