Las Vegas had enough defensive energy to keep creating chances Tuesday night. The Aces just could not stop giving those chances away.
Atlanta beat Las Vegas 97-82 on Tuesday, Aug. 18, at Michelob ULTRA Arena. The loss was the Aces’ second straight at home after opening the homestand with consecutive wins over Washington. Las Vegas tied its single-game franchise record with 12 blocks, but 17 turnovers and 40 percent shooting repeatedly undercut that work.
A’ja Wilson finished with 27 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks in her 301st career game. That tied Sophia Young-Malcolm for the most games played in franchise history. Jackie Young added 24 points, but Atlanta put four starters in double figures and scored 18 points off Las Vegas turnovers.
Before tipoff, Atlanta guard Aaliyah Nye received a warm welcome back to Las Vegas. Nye was recognized on the jumbotron as a member of last season’s Aces championship team, drawing a loud ovation during warmups.
Block party
Las Vegas opened cold and sloppy, falling behind 8-2 after two early turnovers and a 1-for-3 start. The defense kept the Aces attached. Wilson blocked Angel Reese twice on one possession, then won the ensuing jump ball. Chelsea Gray followed with a 3, and NaLyssa Smith scored off an offensive rebound to cut the deficit to 8-7.
The Aces kept finding life through defense and second chances. Wilson finished the quarter with three blocks, while Las Vegas had five as a team. Smith grabbed two offensive rebounds, including one that created a Wilson basket to tie it at 14.
Wilson later converted an and-one, then hit a 3 off a Mai Yamamoto assist to put Las Vegas ahead. Yamamoto added a late 3, and the Aces closed the quarter with a 25-24 lead. Las Vegas shot 53 percent and went 4-for-6 from 3 after the slow start, although four turnovers hinted at the larger problem to come.
Second-quarter unraveling
Las Vegas opened the second with only one starter on the floor, while Atlanta kept most of its starting group in. Cheyenne Parker-Tyus scored immediately, but the Dream quickly regained control.
Wilson returned with 8:07 left and made two free throws to put the Aces ahead 29-28. Reese answered with a 3, then Atlanta began pulling away.
The quarter turned sharply when Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon was ejected after receiving back-to-back technical fouls with 5:06 left. Atlanta made both technical free throws and continued its surge. Assistant coach Charlene Thomas-Swinson took over the Las Vegas sideline.
Jordin Canada and Rhyne Howard hit 3s as Atlanta pushed the lead into double figures. Gray and Jewell Loyd answered from deep, but the Aces could not sustain anything.
Atlanta won the quarter 28-16 and took a 52-41 lead into halftime. The Dream shot 53 percent overall and 50 percent from 3, while Las Vegas fell to 41 percent and was outrebounded 18-14.
Wilson had 14 points and six rebounds at halftime. Reese already had 15 points, while Canada had 12.
During her pregame media availability, Hammon had warned that Las Vegas needed a more complete performance after Saturday’s loss to Minnesota.
“Games are games of runs,” Hammon said before tipoff. “I think what we learned is that we have enough in the bank, but we all have to play well.”
The second quarter became another reminder.
Stops go unused
Las Vegas finally slowed Atlanta in the third, but the offense remained too sloppy to make the defensive work count. Wilson blocked Reese again, while Smith, Brianna Turner and Stephanie Talbot also added rejections.
The Aces reached 10 blocks before the quarter ended. However, they committed six turnovers in the period and repeatedly gave possessions back after creating stops.
Young provided most of the offensive lift. She opened the half with a 3, later scored out of an official timeout and hit another 3 during a five-point burst.
Smith also absorbed contact to the throat with 6:34 left. After a review, Allisha Gray was assessed a flagrant 1. Smith made one of two free throws, but Las Vegas again failed to turn the extra possession into a sustained run.
The contrast became difficult to miss. The Aces were blocking shots, forcing misses and creating steals, then answering with turnovers or missed shots.
Young scored 13 points in the quarter and reached 20 for the game. Wilson had 20 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks through three.
Las Vegas won the quarter 20-19, but Atlanta still carried a 71-61 lead into the fourth.
Push runs out
Smith gave Las Vegas another lift early in the fourth. She scored through contact, beat the shot clock on another possession and later forced a held ball that eventually led to two Young free throws.
Wilson then grabbed an offensive rebound and scored through contact, completing the three-point play to cut Atlanta’s lead to 82-73. Gray followed with a 3 at 5:13, pulling the Aces within 83-76.
It was the closest Las Vegas had been in some time. Atlanta immediately answered.
Allisha Gray scored out of an inbound play to restore a nine-point lead. Soon after, another Las Vegas turnover interrupted the push.
Wilson made two free throws with 1:46 left to cut the deficit to 88-82, while Reese picked up her fifth foul. Again, the Dream responded. Gray hit a jumper, Wilson turned it over and Canada converted at the other end.
The lead was back to 10 with 1:15 remaining. By then, fans were heading for the exits, and the building had gone nearly silent outside the arena music.
Atlanta won the fourth 26-21 and finished off the 97-82 victory.
Las Vegas ended with 12 blocks, tying the franchise single-game record. Wilson had four, Smith had three and Gray had two. Still, the Aces committed 17 turnovers against only 15 assists. Atlanta finished with 15 steals and scored 18 points off those mistakes.
The shooting never rescued them either. Las Vegas went 25-for-63 overall. Wilson finished 7-for-18, Young went 7-for-15 and Loyd was 1-for-4.
Atlanta also dominated the paint 44-22.
Howard led the Dream with 23 points. Reese and Gray scored 21 apiece, while Canada added 17 points and five assists without a turnover.
Wilson’s 301st appearance also added another marker to a career already woven through the franchise’s modern era.
During pregame media availability, Hammon was asked whether one Wilson game stood out above all the others. The question came specifically in the context of Wilson reaching her 301st career appearance.
Hammon could not choose one.
“She’s had too many big ones,” Hammon said before the game. “There are too many big ones to pick just one.”
Tuesday did not become another signature win.
Instead, it became one of the rougher performances of the Aces’ season. The margin was not their largest defeat, and the effort was not absent. Las Vegas kept defending, kept blocking shots and kept trying to make runs.
The execution simply never caught up.
The Aces are now 24-13 after opening the homestand with two wins over Washington, then dropping consecutive games to Minnesota and Atlanta.
Up next
The Aces host the Connecticut Sun on Thursday, Aug. 20, at Michelob ULTRA Arena. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. PT.
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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.
