The Aces reload and Washington’s run ends
Las Vegas had rested A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray on Sunday, a maintenance decision from Becky Hammon during a compressed stretch of the schedule. Two nights later all three were back on the floor, and Washington ran into the version of the Aces that has spent this decade collecting titles. Las Vegas won 86-76 and ended the Mystics’ seven-game winning streak.
Wilson set the terms early. She finished with 26 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks, her 17th double-double of the season. Only a handful of players in the league carry that kind of nightly workload, and the Aces sit at 23-11 in large part because she rarely takes a night off from producing it.
Try it for $0.99.
Young and the supporting cast close it out
Young added 25 points and eight assists, giving Las Vegas the second star that Washington could not match. Gray chipped in 12 points in her return, and NaLyssa Smith did the heavy work inside with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Smith’s layup with 5:32 to play pushed the Aces to their first double-digit lead of the night at 73-63, and the Mystics never threatened after that.
A first loss in more than three weeks
Washington had not lost since July 18, a defeat to Golden State, and the run had turned Shakira Austin’s group into one of the stories of the season’s second half. Austin kept the Mystics within reach with 20 points and Sonia Citron added 19, but the shorthanded stretch they had been feasting on ended the moment Las Vegas got healthy. Washington slips to 19-13, still firmly in the playoff picture but reminded of the gap between a good run and the league’s measuring stick.
Discover the rest of our WNBA news on MathODDS!
in your pocket.
Real-time notifications & alerts
Leave a Reply