With No Jackie Young, A’ja Wilson In The End, Las Vegas Aces Find A Way To Close Out Win Against Dallas Wings, 84-78, Sunday
By Alan Snel and Cassandra Cousineau of LVSportsBiz.com
It was not exactly an offensive masterpiece for the high-powered Las Vegas Aces Sunday.
Plus, they were clinging to a close lead in the final minute of the matinee game against the Dallas Wings without stars Jackie Young (injury) and A’ja Wilson (fouled out).
But in the end, the Aces found a way to close out an 84-78 win against Dallas and improve to 10-2 after a dozen games.
It’s one of those gritty wins. Sometimes we’re gonna have to have that. It’s gonna be like that in the playoffs as well — Aces guard Chelsea Gray
Ironwoman and sharpshooter guard Kelsey Plum led the Aces with 32 points while playing all 40 minutes. The 32 points matched her career high. Plum is now second in the WNBA in scoring, averaging 19.8 points a game.
The Aces made only 42 percent of their shot attempts.
But they picked a good day to play some hungry defense, limiting Dallas to 34.6 shooting.
The Aces stretched a slender two-point lead at halftime into a 13-point advantage midway through the third quarter, only to see Dallas cut the lead to 60-57 after three quarters.
The Aces relied on Plum to carry the offensive load. She had 11 points after one quarter, 17 points at the half and 25 after three quarters. She was 10 for 19 from the floor and 8 of 8 from the foul line.
Fellow guard Chelsea Gray chipped in with 18 points and Dearica Hamby added 12 points.
The Aces also had to deal with the hot shooting of Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale, a guard from Notre Dame who was a threat from any spot on the court. The Wings came off a 68-51 win over Seattle on Friday.
Wilson missed much of the third quarter with four fouls and made a key shot midway through the fourth quarter for a 69-64 lead.
But then Wilson picked up her fifth foul with 4:03 left in the fourth. And then she fouled out about a minute later on an offensive move, tossing her mouthpiece in disgust.
A’ja needs to be getting more respect point blank on both ends of the floor . . . I didn’t like how the game was officiated, that’s two games in a row — Aces coach Becky Hammon
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Before coach Becky Hammon officially took over the reigns for the Aces, team owner Mark Davis showed deep trust in the Hall of Fame guard by opening his checkbook.
The former Spurs assistant has a ton of experience and is the first WNBA coach to exceed a $1 million annual salary. The contract is a massive deal as Davis followed his narrative of paying WNBA players, and coaches more.
Trust is more than a five-letter word. You either have it or you don’t. Without Young, who was out with a sprained ankle, Hammon rolled with a shallow bench.
Hammon also asked her team to turn up the effort on the defensive end.
“I thought we got punked,” Hammon said after Thursday’s tough defeat to the Connecticut Sun. “Losing is part of the game. We weren’t going to go the entire season without a loss. The league is too good. There are too many elite players to expect that.”
It was a different story against the Wings coached by Hammon’s close friend and former Aces assistant Vickie Johnson.
Gray was hit in the mouth and again bled profusely all over the court at the start of the 3rd quarter. What did she do? The All-Star returned to the court stitched, bandaged, and drained a three on her first play back in the game.
The Aces came to play. They have an eight-game winning streak over the Dallas Wings, the longest streak over any one team in the WNBA.
Plum was amped from the start of the game. She has a bit more rapport with her new coach than the rest of her team.
The Aces kicked off Pride Month on its home court handing out rainbow bandanas to fans.
“The organization believes there’s strength in numbers, and together we can help create a tipping point for a more inclusive world. From our fans to players, we welcome and support all people,” the coach said.
Love is love, and basketball is basketball. Hammon has a team of ballers and when the horn sounds, winning is all that matters. Las Vegas started a new win streak and found a way to scratch out a win while missing Young’s defensive tenacity and 19 points.
It was a great team win. I’m just proud of my team. — Aces coach Becky Hammon
As for Plum, who scored the 32 crucial points Sunday, “I’ll always feel like a leader. I’ll do whatever I can to help my team. I don’t feel like I did anything out of my element . . . We needed to protect The House (Michelob Ultra Arena) tonight. We did that.”
PSA
