A’ja Wilson opened the regular-season finale playing like the MVP favorite she has been all season.
Wilson scored 17 points in the first quarter and finished with 34 as the Las Vegas Aces beat the Phoenix Mercury 100-82 Thursday at Mortgage Matchup Center. Las Vegas closed the regular season 31-13 with seven straight wins and did its part in the race for the No. 2 seed.
That seed still depended on Golden State’s result against Los Angeles. An Aces win combined with a Valkyries loss would move Las Vegas into second. Otherwise, the Aces would finish third.
Before the game, Aces coach Becky Hammon made clear that the priority was bigger than trying to manipulate a playoff matchup.
“We want to finish well,” Hammon said. “We don’t want to be limping across the finish line of the regular season.”
Wilson sets the tone
Wilson took Las Vegas’ first five shots and scored the team’s first six points.
Young then buried a 3-pointer, and Stephanie Talbot converted an and-one as the Aces opened on a 14-0 run. Phoenix did not score until 5:48 remained in the first quarter.
Wilson kept attacking from there. She scored at the rim, from the midrange and through contact while finishing the quarter with 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting.
She also moved past Brittney Griner for 11th on the WNBA’s career field goals made list.
Young controlled the rest of the offense with seven first-quarter assists. Las Vegas had 11 assists on 14 baskets and forced 10 Phoenix turnovers.
The Aces shot 61 percent and led 32-18 after one.
Loyd adds another punch
Jewell Loyd took over part of the scoring load in the second quarter.
She scored 12 points in the period and knocked down three 3-pointers. Kalani Brown supplied eight points inside, while Talbot remained perfect from the floor and reached 12 points by halftime.
Young continued creating and had nine assists at the break. Chelsea Gray added seven assists of her own.
Wilson reached 21 points on 10-of-13 shooting as Las Vegas kept stretching the margin. Gray also found Wilson on a no-look pass late in the half as the lead reached 30.
The Aces won the second 33-18 and took a 65-36 advantage into halftime.
Las Vegas shot 63 percent in the half, including 6-of-11 from 3, with 19 assists against only four turnovers.
Phoenix pushes back
The third quarter brought the first sustained trouble for Las Vegas.
Phoenix opened the half on an 11-0 run, cutting the lead to 65-47 and forcing Hammon to call timeout.
The Aces struggled to rediscover their first-half rhythm. They scored only 12 points in the quarter and committed six turnovers.
Wilson helped steady things with six points and four rebounds in the period. Loyd added four points, but Phoenix still won the quarter 24-12.
The Mercury trimmed the margin to 77-60 entering the fourth.
Hammon had said before the game that Las Vegas wanted to be playing its best basketball entering the postseason. The third quarter showed there are still details to sharpen.
“We’re certainly not a finished product,” Hammon said.
Aces answer late
Phoenix made one more push in the fourth and cut the lead to 84-74.
Young answered out of a Las Vegas timeout with a floater. Talbot then took a charge and scored on the next Aces possession, helping push the margin back out.
Wilson added seven points in the quarter and finished with 34 on 16-of-28 shooting. She also had nine rebounds, five assists and a steal.
Loyd closed with a season-high 25 points, surpassing her previous high of 21. Talbot scored 14, matching the season high she set against Los Angeles two nights earlier.
Gray finished with 12 points and 10 assists, while Young had 11 assists. Las Vegas ended the night with 28 assists on 42 made baskets.
The Aces shot 56 percent overall and 9-of-19 from 3. They also forced 18 Phoenix turnovers.
Gray supplied the final basket with a 3-pointer in the closing seconds, giving Las Vegas 100 points and completing the 18-point win.
The Aces handled the part they could control. Now their final playoff seed depends on the result between Golden State and Los Angeles.
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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.
