The Las Vegas Aces are silencing the competition, shooting to No. 2 in the WNBA standings following an 81-75 take-down of the now-No. 3 Atlanta Dream on Wednesday night.
Defending WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson led Las Vegas with 34 points, while guard Jackie Young posted a triple-double.
The Aces have now won 12 straight games, claiming a meteoric rise from No. 8 to No. 2 in under a month as Wilson sits Top-5 league-wide in points, rebounds, and blocks per game.
"Don't call me 'Curry,'" Wilson joked, referencing all-time NBA three-point leader Steph Curry after tying her season-high of two made-threes in Wednesday's matchup.
Las Vegas's unbeaten streak dates back to August 2nd's 53-point blowout loss to the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx, with Wednesday's statement win over a fellow postseason favorite cementing the 2023 WNBA champions' newfound effectiveness.
"This is our eighth game in 15 days. I was very concerned with our legs coming into this game," said Aces head coach Becky Hammon. "When you talk about gears and that ability to kick it up an extra notch, we really have been able to do that on the defensive end — and it's winning us games."
While Las Vegas already clinched a playoff berth, the path to a third franchise title won't be easy, as the Aces will look to avenge their 0-3 head-to-head record against the Lynx in the pair's final 2025 regular-season meeting next week.
How to watch the Las Vegas Aces in this week's WNBA slate
After a successful but jam-packed August, the No. 2 Aces are now on an eight-day rest, returning to the court to tangle with the No. 1 Lynx next Thursday, September 4th.
The top-table clash will tip off at 10 PM ET, with live coverage airing on Prime.
The No. 3 Las Vegas Aces are on an historic tear, extending the league's longest winning streak this season to 11 games by defeating the No. 12 Chicago Sky 79-74 on Monday night — becoming the second team to clinch a spot in the 2025 WNBA Playoffs in the process.
Despite a 30-point performance from Chicago guard Ariel Atkins, plus double-doubles from Sky center Kamilla Cardoso and forward Angel Reese, the Aces emerged victorious behind guard Jackie Young's team-leading 22 points.
MVP contender A'ja Wilson and veteran guard Chelsea Gray also added 18 and 14 points, respectively, to fuel the Las Vegas win.
"They've been resilient," Aces head coach Becky Hammon said following Monday's game. "It's been a really tough stretch…you're getting beat up and you've got to maintain, you have to play through it."
The Aces haven't dropped a game since August 2nd's 53-point blowout loss to the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx, racking up seven wins over teams currently in postseason positions as they climb the WNBA standings.
As for the already-eliminated Sky, Chicago did have one big reason to celebrate on Monday night, as the team raised the jersey of retired WNBA legend Candace Parker into the rafters during a halftime ceremony complete with remarks from current Phoenix Mercury star and 2021 WNBA champion Kahleah Copper.
"Today we celebrate you," Copper said to her former teammate. "You gave this game everything. Your time, your body, your heart. You didn't just play the game — you set records, you broke barriers, and you left your mark in ways stats can't fully compare."
How to watch the Las Vegas Aces this week
The No. 3 Aces have their work cut out for them as they shoot for 12 straight wins during their visit to the No. 2 Atlanta Dream on Wednesday.
The clash tips off at 7:30 PM ET with live coverage airing on NBA TV.
The WNBA underdogs refuse to go away, as teams battling in the middle of the league standings scored big wins over the weekend.
On a roll with three consecutive wins, a young Washington Mystics team are standing their ground at in seventh place on the league table.
Far from simply stealing wins against lottery teams, the Mystics booked their third straight victory on Sunday, handing the No. 4 Seattle Storm a 74-69 loss.
"We just rely on our daily habits… we play for each other," said Washington forward Aaliyah Edwards afterwards.
The Mystics weren't the only WNBA underdogs to impress this weekend: The Indiana Fever rattled off two straight wins in a push to sixth place, taking an impressive 99-82 result over the No. 5 Atlanta Dream on Friday before downing the No. 12 Dallas Wings 102-83 on Sunday.
"I thought I was just a really good floor general tonight, and I think that's something I can be more proud of than making shots," Indiana guard Caitlin Clark told ESPN following Friday's tilt.
Reigning WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson also saw a triumphant weekend return, notching a 34-point, 16-rebound double-double in the No. 9 Las Vegas Aces's 104-102 win over the No. 8 Golden State Valkyries on Saturday after sitting out last week with a wrist injury.
Guard Jackie Young also contributed 30 points to the Aces victory, though Las Vegas still sits just outside of playoff contention with one game left before this weekend's 2025 WNBA All-Star break.
For many teams in the middle of the WNBA standings, momentum has been hard to come by — but last weekend's outcomes reinforced that, in this league, any team can win any game.
The Seattle Storm shot to the top of the Western Conference standings in the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup race on Wednesday, taking the lead after handing the Minnesota Lynx their first loss of the season.
Forward Nneka Ogwumike led the Storm with a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double, with new Seattle signing Erica Wheeler adding 20 points and nine assists to help blank the 25-point, nine-rebound performance put up by Minnesota star Napheesa Collier.
"If you want to win on the road, especially a place like Seattle and a team like Seattle, you've got to play a hell of a lot better," said Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve following the 94-84 loss.
Currently sitting level with the Lynx with a 3-1 Cup record, Wednesday's victory gives Seattle the head-to-head advantage in the in-season competition.
With a $500,000 prize pool on the line — including $5,000 for each player in the July 1st title game — the annual 36-game contest raises the early-season stakes.
Even more, each game in the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup carries double the impact, counting toward both regular-season and Cup records.
Due to Minnesota's loss, the reigning champion New York Liberty now stand alone as the WNBA's only undefeated team in both regular-season and Commissioner's Cup play, holding a 3-0 Cup record alongside a steep +75 point differential.
Bueckers scores career-high in return to Dallas
Scoring a massive individual win on Wednesday was Dallas rookie Paige Bueckers, who put up a career-high 35 points in her return to action.
However, the 2025 No. 1 draft pick's stellar night failed to lift the Wings over the Phoenix Mercury, whose 93-80 victory gave last-place Dallas a 1-10 regular-season record while falling to 0-4 in Cup play.
Bueckers will next go toe-to-toe with Aces guard Jackie Young on Friday, as the 2019 top draft pick comes off her own 34-point performance in Wednesday's 97-89 Las Vegas loss to the LA Sparks.
The LA win marked the second straight Las Vegas stumble, sending the Aces skidding to a 4-4 regular-season tally and a 1-2 Cup record.
With plenty of runway remaining, teams will look to climb the ranks before 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup play winds down on June 17th.
How to watch WNBA Commissioner's Cup games this week
With two games on tap, WNBA play returns to action on Friday, beginning with the third-place Atlanta Dream hosting a Chicago Sky team still hunting their first Commissioner's Cup win at 7:30 PM ET.
Then at 10 PM ET, Bueckers and the Dallas Wings will tip off against Young and the Aces in Las Vegas.
Both Friday WNBA games will air live on ION.
It's back-to-school weekend for the WNBA, as teams travel to stars' old collegiate stomping grounds to tip off a series of preseason exhibitions.
While preseason matchups don't carry the same weight as opening day, the league raised the stakes this year to give fans a taste of what's to come during the gap between March Madness and the May 16th 2025 WNBA season tip-off.
Kicking off the preseason party is this year's No. 1 draft pick Paige Bueckers, who will make her professional debut when the Dallas take on Las Vegas on Friday. The showdown will occur at Notre Dame's Purcell Pavilion, as both teams boast Fighting Irish alumni in the Wings' Arike Ogunbowale and the Aces' Jackie Young and Jewell Loyd.
Later on Friday, reunited LSU teammates Angel Reese and Hailey Van Lith will return to the Baton Rouge court when the Chicago Sky tips off against the Brazil Women's National Team.
After facing the Washington Mystics on Saturday, Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever will travel to the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year's alma mater Iowa for their own date with Brazil on Sunday.
Fever fans will be particularly grateful that Sunday clash will receive national airtime, as resale tickets for the sold-out game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena are averaging upwards of $440 apiece.
To cap off the weekend, Sunday will also see the new-look Connecticut Sun will battle a Seattle Storm squad hungry to jump back into title contention this season.
Though the exhibition results won't matter, testing players in front of a crowd while building excitement for the upcoming 2025 season can be just as crucial for teams as they look to polish their rosters over the next two weeks.
How to watch this weekend's WNBA preseason games
Friday will see the Dallas Wings take on the Las Vegas Aces at 7 PM ET followed by the Chicago Sky's matchup against Brazil at 9 PM ET, with both games airing live on ION.
Indiana's busy weekend begins with Saturday's 1 PM ET clash with Washington on NBA TV before the Fever face Brazil at 4 PM ET on Sunday, airing live on ESPN.
The weekend's final exhibition pits Connecticut against Seattle at 6 PM ET on Sunday, with live coverage available with the WNBA League Pass.
WNBA star Caitlin Clark and the Fever will hit the airwaves sooner than expected this year, with multiple sources reporting that ESPN will televise a preseason game between Indiana and the Brazil national team on May 4th.
The broadcast boost will reportedly make the Fever vs. Brazil matchup the WNBA's first-ever nationally televised exhibition game, a move that comes after a 2024 preseason battle between the Minnesota Lynx and Chicago Sky earned more than two million streams — from a fan's cellphone.
WNBA teams follow in the Indiana Fever's preseason footsteps
The May matchup will mark the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year's return to Iowa’s Carver-Hawkeye Arena, with the Fever set to play in front of a sold-out crowd at Clark's alma mater.
Indiana isn't the only team taking a trip down memory lane this preseason, with several teams bringing exhibition games to university arenas before the 2025 WNBA season tips off on May 16th.
Two days before facing the Fever, Brazil will clash with the Sky at Chicago star Angel Reese's collegiate home of LSU — an arena also familiar to new Sky recruit Hailey Van Lith.
Also on May 2nd, Notre Dame will host legendary alums Arike Ogunbowale, Jewell Loyd, and Jackie Young when the Las Vegas Aces play the Dallas Wings at South Bend's Purcell Pavilion.
Every member of Team USA contributed to Wednesday's 88-74 Olympic quarterfinal win over Nigeria, with roster depth highlighting the stat sheet.
With all 12 players tallying points and assists on 31 of the team's 34 made field goals, USA Basketball notched its 59th-consecutive Olympic victory.
Mid-game scoring run fuels USA dub
A slow US start kept the game tight into the second quarter, until a prolific 21-6 run saw Team USA close out the first half with a 19-point lead. They then added to their bucket bonanza with a 10-0 run to open the third quarter.
Despite leading Nigeria with 19 points and helping trim the USA’s lead to 13 in the fourth quarter, Promise Amukamara and her squad ultimately fell short of silencing Team USA's shooting prowess.
Wilson makes more US Olympic history
USA Basketball standout A’ja Wilson led the charge with her third double-double in Paris, her 20 points and 11 rebounds marking her fourth Olympic double-double — the most ever recorded by a US woman.
Also showing up big in the paint was Breanna Stewart, with 13 points, five rebounds, and three assists, while Brittney Griner added 11 points of her own.
Young capitalizes on her starting lineup shot
The player who shined the brightest was arguably three-time WNBA All-Star Jackie Young. Young replaced six-time Olympian Diana Taurasi in the lineup, mainly due to her strength and aggressive defensive ability — skills that helped her stifle top Nigeria scorer Ezinne Kalu.
In addition to her defensive contributions, Young also posted 15 points and three rebounds.
"She's playing the way we want to play both ends of the floor," head coach Cheryl Reeve said of the Aces double-threat. "And it's time to get to that space where we understand that if we don't win, we go home."
Olympic semifinal against Australia looms
Australia poses the next hurdle along Team USA’s win-or-go-home hunt for an eighth-straight Olympic gold medal.
The US last beat the Opals 79-55 in Tokyo, and the US will aim for a similarly orchestrated result in tomorrow’s Olympic semifinal.
No bench? No problem, at least for the Las Vegas Aces.
In Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, the Las Vegas Aces took a 99-82 win against the New York Liberty. Of those 99 points, 91 came from four Aces starters.
Kelsey Plum (26), Jackie Young (26), Chelsea Gray (20) and A’ja Wilson (19) dominated for Las Vegas, which outscored New York by 20 points in the second half to take the 1-0 series lead. No four players have combined for more points in a WNBA Finals game, per ESPN’s Alexa Philippou.
The Aces’ other eight points came from Alysha Clark, the first player off the bench for the defending champions. Clark played 28 minutes; the rest of the Aces’ bench played just five minutes combined.
Kiah Stokes, the fifth starter for Las Vegas, is a defensive specialist, often trading places with Clark depending on possession. In Game 1, Stokes finished with zero points, but she had five rebounds and three assists.
Before Candace Parker’s injury, she held Stokes’ role as the second post player in the starting lineup alongside Wilson, averaging 9.0 points and 5.4 rebounds. Yet even with Parker on the sidelines, the Aces’ starting lineup is fearsome for opponents, as they proved again Sunday.
With the victory, Las Vegas has won its first six games of the 2023 postseason. The No. 1 seed Aces swept the No. 8 seed Chicago Sky and the No. 4 seed Dallas Wings to reach the championship series. Five other teams in WNBA history have won their first six postseason games, and all went on to win the title, per ESPN Stats & Info.
The WNBA All-Star teams are set, but the lineup for the Skills Challenge and 3-Point Contest are still up in the air. Friday’s competition serves as a precursor to the main event on All-Star weekend, with six players participating in the 3-Point Contest and eight in the Skills Challenge (if the WNBA sticks with the same format as last year).
With the entire league to choose from, here is my wish list for the players I’d like to see compete this weekend in Las Vegas.
3-Point Contest
Kelsey Plum, G, Las Vegas Aces
After struggling in last year’s 3-point contest on All-Star weekend, Kelsey Plum deserves a shot at redemption. Despite being an excellent 3-point shooter who averages 43.2% for her career, she was last in the competition in 2022. Teammate A’ja Wilson even said Plum “stunk it up.” The Vegas guard followed that performance up by winning 2022 All-Star Game MVP, but a good showing in this year’s 3-point competition would further erase last year’s struggles. Plum said she’s “not a rack shooter and more of a game shooter,” but why not both?
Lexie Brown, G, Los Angeles Sparks
The Sparks guard was considered a snub in last year’s 3-point contest after shooting 39.8% on the season, thanks to a hot hand in the first half. This year, Brown is even better from beyond the arc, shooting 42% and making 2.3 attempts per contest. An illness has kept Brown off the court since June 14, but if she’s healthy, the guard is a no-brainer addition to this year’s competition.
Karlie Samuelson, G, Los Angeles Sparks
Why not have a little intra-team competition? Brown’s teammate, Karlie Samuelson, would be a perfect candidate. She’s spent the last few seasons fighting for a WNBA roster spot and has found a home this year with the Sparks, shooting an incredible 48.2% from beyond the arc. Samuelson is currently injured, but if healthy enough, she deserves this honor.
DeWanna Bonner, F/G, Connecticut Sun
At 35 years old, Bonner is having the best 3-point shooting season of her WNBA career, averaging 38.2% with 2.2 makes per game. Bonner spent her offseason practicing twice a day to rehab an injury and improve her long-range shooting. Bonner’s desire to find ways to get better after 14 years in the league makes her special, and bringing her into the 3-point contest would be a great way to celebrate the veteran’s season.
Sabrina Ionescu, G, New York Liberty
Another player who is having the best 3-point shooting performance of her career, Ionescu is making 43.9% of her attempts this season, marking a 10% improvement on her average last season. She’s making 3.1 3-pointers per contest, good for second in the WNBA. Ionescu is the reigning Skills Challenge champion, so why not give her a chance to win the shooting portion as well?
Jackie Young, G, Las Vegas Aces
Another intra-squad rivalry would be on display if Young competed alongside Plum, and with the competition being held in Vegas this year, two Aces players would make for an exciting atmosphere. Not to mention, Young has had one of the best career arcs when it comes to 3-point shooting, shooting 25% in 2021 and 43.1% in 2022. This year, she’s an absolute must-guard shooter from beyond the arc, making 48.1% of her attempts.
Skills Challenge
NaLyssa Smith, F, Indiana Fever
The Fever forward participated in last year’s Skills Challenge as a rookie and finished in second place. Smith is having a great second-year campaign in Indiana, leading the team in rebounds per game and ranking second in points per game. Could a skills competition redemption be in her future? It’s certainly a possibility.
Sabrina Ionescu, G, New York Liberty
Speaking of last year’s contest, Ionescu took home the top prize and deserves a chance to defend her title. Having the Liberty guard compete in all three of the weekend’s events is a lot, but she certainly has a case to make the trio of appearances.
Rhyne Howard, G, Atlanta Dream
When it comes to All-Star snubs, no one was more deserving than Howard, who participated in the game last season as a rookie. She’s averaging 18.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, building on her Rookie of the Year season in 2022. Since we won’t get to see Howard in the All-Star Game, she should at least make an appearance in the Skills Challenge.
Candace Parker, F/C, Las Vegas Aces
This is perhaps the biggest reach on the wish list, but who better to participate in the Skills Challenge than a do-it-all player like Parker? She’s made it clear that she’s nearing the end of her career, so if 2023 is Parker’s last season, it would be a shame for her to go without seeing her compete in some capacity this weekend.
Marine Johannès, G, New York Liberty
Is it really a skills competition without the flashiest player in the WNBA? The French guard does a little bit of everything, and she does it all with style. Johannès is sure to get “oohs and “aahs” every time she steps on the court, making this event the perfect showcase for an exciting player like her.
Courtney Vandersloot, G, New York Liberty
If we are going to have two Liberty guards, why not make it three by adding in the WNBA assists leader? Vandersloot runs the Liberty offense with ease, dishing out 8.5 assists per game. The WNBA veteran certainly has the skills to win this competition, and maybe Allie Quigley would even make an appearance to cheer on her wife. It only seems fair after years of Vandersloot’s support for the queen of the 3-Point Contest.
Satou Sabally, F, Dallas Wings
Other than Smith and Parker, this list is guard-heavy. Enter Sabally, who is the perfect forward for the skills competition. She’s 6-4, but plays more like a guard who shines in the fastbreak and leads the Wings on the run. That makes her a competitive candidate for this event. Plus, Sabally is having the best season of her career, averaging 17.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.
Jewell Loyd, G, Seattle Storm
Things are much different for the 4-14 Storm this season, but Jewell Loyd’s talent remains the same. She could easily participate in the 3-Point Contest, averaging 38.8% from beyond the arc and leading the league in 3-pointers made with 3.4 per game. But I’d rather see Loyd show off her complete skill set, like she’s been doing for Seattle all season.
Eden Laase is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.
When the Las Vegas Aces played the New York Liberty, it was supposed to be the game of the season. Supposed to be a drag-it-out, fight to the finish. Supposed to be a preview of the WNBA Finals to come — and maybe it was.
But instead of a down-to-the-wire contest, it was a blowout. The Aces completely dominated the Liberty with a 98-81 victory. The game was billed as the “Battle of the Superteams,” but it wasn’t a battle, and there weren’t two superteams on the court. There was just one team that was much, much better than its opponent.
Which begs the question, “Can anyone beat the Aces?”
In a single game, sure. The Connecticut Sun already did it, handing the Aces their lone loss of the season. But in a playoff series, it’s hard to imagine anyone stringing together enough wins to stop Las Vegas from repeating as WNBA champions.
Let’s start with the obvious: the roster. The reason the Aces fall into the superteam category is because their starting five is that of an All-Star Game. MVP A’ja Wilson, former MVP Candace Parker, Finals MVP Chelsea Gray, Most Improved Player Jackie Young and All-WNBA First teamer Kelsey Plum. A simple list of those names is impressive, but it’s how they come together that makes Las Vegas so dominant.
The win over New York proves it’s not enough to have stars on the court. The Liberty have their own awe-inducing starting lineup with former MVPs Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones, WNBA assists leader Courtney Vandersloot, former Most Improved Player Betnijah Laney and All-WNBA second-teamer Sabrina Ionescu.
Here’s the difference: New York looked like an All-Star team, and Las Vegas looked like a championship team.
The Liberty still look like a collection of stars playing on the court but not playing together, while the Aces are a unit, dripping with team chemistry.
They know how to feed the hot hand — it’s why Wilson, Plum, Young and Gray routinely rotate as the team’s leading scorer in any given game — and how to exploit defensive matchups.
Against the Liberty, Plum’s 18 points led the way, as the Aces focused on guard play and beating defenders off the dribble. Plum and Young were able to break down their defenders with quick first steps, while also using switches on screens to their advantage. The Liberty couldn’t stay in front, which created lanes for attacking and, in turn, opened up the entire offense.
In other situations, the Aces can use Wilson as their anchor and run offense through last season’s MVP. They have options, and they know when to use them.
Big sis @Candace_Parker with the breakout pass to lil sis @_ajawilson22 is what you need on your timeline#PhantomCam x @LVAces pic.twitter.com/FIvoJ1i6TU
— WNBA (@WNBA) June 30, 2023
Then there’s the defense. Becky Hammon has been very vocal about wanting more out of her team on the defensive end, and she’s getting it. The Liberty are averaging 87.5 points per game this season — second in the league behind the Aces — but Las Vegas held them below that average on Thursday night.
Individually, the Aces also contained Stewart and Ionescu to outputs well below their season averages. Stewart scores 22.1 points per game and is nearly impossible to stop, but Vegas held her to 16 points. And Ionescu reached less than half her season average of 15.3, contributing seven points in the loss.
That’s been a theme this season: The Aces hold their opponents to 77.7 points per game, which is second in the league. That, combined with their explosive offense, has Vegas winning their games by a WNBA-leading average of 15.5 points.
Of course, it is possible to beat Las Vegas. The Sun did it, with a 94-77 win in their second meeting of the season on June 4. In that game, two major statistics stand out.
First, the Sun kept Vegas off the glass. Averaging 34.8 rebounds per game this season, the Aces pulled down just 26 in that loss compared to 34 from the Sun. But rebounding isn’t actually one of the Aces’ major strengths. They are 7th out of 12 teams in that category, so keeping them off the boards doesn’t mean an automatic chance at victory. In fact, Las Vegas recorded just 27 rebounds against the Liberty.
The biggest factor in the Sun’s victory was DeWanna Bonner, who scored a career-high 41 points on 5-for-7 shooting from beyond the arc. Four players have scored over 40 points in a game this season — Jewell Loyd, Arike Ogunbowale, Stewart and Bonner — so it’s not exactly a common feat. The Sun needed a superhuman performance to top Las Vegas, and that’s not something that teams can conjure up on a nightly basis.
So, yeah, the Aces are beatable. But just barely.
The Liberty game only served to prove that Las Vegas is by far the best team in the WNBA, and it’s going to take a special string of games for anyone to stop the defending champs from repeating.
Eden Laase is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.