A’ja Wilson scored 34 points and collected 13 rebounds in the Las Vegas Aces' 87-71 win over the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday.
Her most recent double-double marks the 93rd of her career. This places her 7th on the WNBA's all-time list for double-doubles, with Tamika Catchings holding the 6th spot at 96.
Led by Wilson’s impressive play, Las Vegas bounced back from their first defeat since the Olympic break, snapping a two-game losing streak. At the same time, the Aces handed Los Angeles its fourth consecutive loss.
A'ja Wilson climbing up the history records
Wilson also notched her 17th game of the season with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds, bringing her career total to 69, which ranks fifth in WNBA history. Lisa Leslie and Candace Parker share third place with 71 each.
The Aces star surpassed her own single-season record of 16 games with 20 points and 10 rebounds, set in 2023. The Aces center has now achieved at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in eight straight games, setting another WNBA record.
She also matched the WNBA record for the most 30-point, 10-rebound games in a single season, previously set by Tina Charles.
A'ja Wilson stretched her streak of consecutive games with double-digit scoring to 39, the longest active streak in the league and tied for the 23rd longest in WNBA history.
Wilson’s 13 rebounds bring her career total to 1,947, ranking 30th in WNBA history. The next player on the list is Tammy Sutton-Brown, who has 2,010 rebounds and holds the 29th spot.
The two-time WNBA MVP is putting up averages of 29.3 points, 14.4 rebounds, and 3.6 blocks per game, while maintaining shooting accuracy of 53% from the field (85 of 161) and 93.3% from the free-throw line (56 of 60).
The Las Vegas Aces keeping the Los Angeles Sparks at bay
In the first quarter, neither team led by more than 4 points, with 7 lead changes and 5 ties. The Aces shot 57.1% from the field, while the Sparks shot 35.7%. Los Angeles made 8 of 10 free throws, while Las Vegas hit 3 of 5. The Aces outscored the Sparks 12-4 in the paint, with A'ja Wilson leading with 9 points and four other Las Vegas players adding 3 points each.
Wilson’s jumper at 4:52 put the Aces ahead 33-31, and they maintained the lead from that point. They built their advantage to 38-31 with 3:20 left and went into halftime with a 7-point lead.
In the third quarter, the Sparks managed to cut the deficit to 3 points twice, with their last attempt coming at 3:13. However, the Aces responded with a 10-2 run to end the quarter.
The Aces maintained their lead throughout the final period, never letting it drop below 8 points. Wilson was perfect from the free-throw line, making all 6 attempts, and scored 10 points during the period.
Los Angeles had previously defeated the two-time defending WNBA champion Aces in their last two matchups. However, Las Vegas avoided a third loss to the Sparks and evened the four-game regular-season series by limiting Los Angeles to 18 points or fewer in each of the final three quarters on Sunday.
Kelsey Plum sank four three-pointers and totaled 18 points, while Tiffany Hayes added 11 and Jackie Young contributed 10 for the Las Vegas Aces who now stand at 17-9.
Rickea Jackson topped the scoring for the struggling Los Angeles Sparks with 15 points. Dearica Hamby chipped in with 13 points, 11 rebounds, and four steals, and Kia Nurse added 12 points, with 10 of those coming in the first half.
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