The Las Vegas Aces are on the road again. The defending champions are headed to Dallas to take on the Wings in the Aces' first game of this year's Commissioner's Cup.
Wednesday night's game is the first meeting between the teams since the Aces swept Dallas last year in the WNBA Semifinals. However, the Aces return to College Park Center on different terms.
Las Vegas has not played since a 78-74 loss against the Atlanta Dream on Friday. It was an unusual game for the Sin City players. Coach Becky Hammon acknowledged a lack of scoring and a surprising amount of fouling.
The Aces are now a disappointing 4-2 on the season. Though it's early in the season, this is not the norm for the back-to-back champions. Some could say it indicates that the team needs to shake it up before it's too late.
During their winning seasons, Las Vegas did not lose until after their eighth game. To be fair, there are different challenges this year. Chelsea Gray remains out of play. Gray has been missing in action since last season due to a lower leg injury. Her absence has been felt on the court.
Guards Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young consistently play more than 35 minutes in games. Though filling in the Gray void has been a team effort, the effort appears to get exhausted come the fourth quarter. The two-time champs recently signed 11-year veteran guard Tiffany Hayes, but there's no word yet on when we can see her on the court.
All-Star play
Amid all the challenges, the Aces have displayed reasons why they are the defending WNBA champions. With Gray out, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young have both shown up big time.
This season, the Plum Dawg solidified 400 career-made three-pointers while averaging 18.7 points per game. Young continues to stack double-doubles and assists. She has been a dependable force along the perimeter and is shooting 36.1% on three-pointers.
The Aces as a whole are connecting on 33.9% of 3-pointers, and the team averages 86.5 points per contest, making them first in the WNBA.
Defense may be their only downfall. The Aces were whistled for 25 fouls in their last game. The last time Las Vegas had that many infractions was against Dallas in 2021.
The Wings are coming off an 87-76 defeat against Minnesota. Dallas locked down 26 defensive boards and eight offensive boards for a total of 34 during the matchup. They were able to rack up 12 steals in that game and convert 12 of their free throw tries.
As an offense, the Wings are shooting 45% from the floor and averaging 82.6 points per game, which could be a problem for the Aces' struggling defense on Wednesday.
Las Vegas has the Ace
But early mishaps can lead to learned lessons ahead of a three-peat. After all, Las Vegas has the Ace: A'ja Wilson. The WNBA announced Monday that the Aces forward was named the KIA Western Conference Player of the Month for May 2024.
The Las Vegas star led the Aces with an average of 26.5 points, which is second in the league. Wilson is first in the league in rebounds with 12.5 per game. The MVP doesn't miss a block party either, averaging 2.83 per game to rank second in the league.
It is the ninth Player of the Month Award and fourth in a row for the two-time MVP.
While the question may no longer be who can stop the Aces, defeat doesn't appear to be something Wilson and the Aces will get used to.
The Las Vegas Aces go toe-to-toe with the Dallas Wings at College Park Center on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET.
Follow Us
Subscribe