The Las Vegas Aces are once again showing love to rookie Kate Martin. This time it's on the road for the first away game of the season. The back-to-back WNBA champions will take on the Minnesota Lynx at 8 p.m. on Wednesday. But, first Aces MVP A'ja Wilson and her band of stars graced “Money Martin” with a sparkly, purple backpack. A gift fit for a rook.
“I feel really honored that I get to walk around with this and thank you so much for the opportunity,” Martin said in a speech encouraged by her teammates.
The viral tweet is not the first to make headlines.
The Iowa product plays with a noticeable fire that continues to strike hot each game she plays in. While she didn't make the May 14 season opener against the Phoenix Mercury, Money Martin has been “money” in the three games she had played since. She made her first career 3-pointer in the matchup against the Los Angeles Sparks. In that same game, she put up a rejection against Sparks’ 6-foot-7 center Li Yueru–which resulted in a viral moment between Martin and an excited Kelsey Plum.
The Aces head into the first of three away games after a 99-80 victory against the Indiana Fever. Kate Martin was reunited with Iowa former teammate, bestie, and the WNBA #1 Draft Pick, Caitlin Clark. The excitement around Clark grew a huge crowd to the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas. But, it was Martin and the Aces who shined in the long-awaited showdown. The star trio of Wilson (25.5), Jackie Young (22.5) and Plum (20.8) account for most of the final score, while Martin locked in a career-high of 12 points.
Even with the recent win and sparkles, the first road trip comes with a few losses.
Aces missing in action
Las Vegas is known to have aces up their sleeves. On Saturday, the Aces' reserves scored a season-high 20 points in the win over the Fever, led by that career-high 12 from Kate Martin. Currently, the team is down to nine healthy bodies after waiving rookie guard Dyaisha Fair on Sunday. Two players remain out with injuries: Kierstan Bell and Chelsea Gray.
Bell, a forward, has been out for three games with a lower right-leg injury. Meanwhile, during Game 3 of the WNBA Finals, Gray sustained a foot injury. The point guard has been out since.
“It’s really hard to replace anybody on our roster,” Kia Stokes said at a post-practice conference on Monday.
While Coach Beck Hammon said it's likely Bell could return in a couple of weeks, it remains unclear when Gray will be able to come back. But, she has said she doesn’t expect her to be gone for long.
“It’s been tough having Chelsea Gray out,” Megan Gustafson said Saturday ahead of the Aces-Fever game.
“She’s one of the best point guards in the world. So, obviously when that’s taken out. We have great people who have stepped up in place of that, sharing point guard duties to fill that role. But, it’s hard.”
Lynx has more than home court advantage vs. Aces
The upcoming match-up against Minnesota may come with not only challenges, but also surprises for the Aces. Minnesota currently leads the WNBA in field goal percentage, 3-point percentage, and steals. It is a far cry from the season the Lynx had last year. Not to mention, the team already has a leg up, or should we say four. Minnesota currently only has one player out on injury.
Expect to see some hustle from the Aces.
Las Vegas competes against Minnesota on Wednesday at the Target Center at 8pm EST.
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