The super team Las Vegas Aces continue to roll over their WNBA competition. They ended the season’s first half with a dominant victory on the road over the L.A. Sparks, 97-78. The Aces did what they’ve done all year and established their dominance, leading by as many as 29 points and never trailing.
All-Star captain A’ja Wilson was her superstar self, ending the night with 25 points and scoring a whopping 16 during the opening frame. The All-Star break couldn’t come soon enough for L.A. as the team continues to suffer from key injuries to starters Lexie Brown, Layshia Clarendon and Chiney Ogwumike. The hope is these players can return to the team after the break and help the Sparks clinch a playoff berth. For Vegas, the break will be a celebration as it has four players who made the All-Star Game.
Other Wednesday action
New York Liberty (14-4) over Indiana Fever (5-15), 95-87 (OT)
At 14-4, the Liberty are the second-best team in the W and seem to have a date with the Aces for the WNBA title this October. Indiana may only have a handful of wins, but with Aliyah Boston giving an All-Star/Rookie of the Year performance, they pushed the Liberty to the brink, forcing overtime but falling just short of the win.
Sabrina Ionescu was sensational for the Liberty, dropping 34 points, including key free throws during the closing seconds of regulation and huge 3-pointers in OT.
Boston led the Fever with 23 points and 9 rebounds, but, as has often been the case this season, the valiant effort ended in vain as Indiana fell short in the closing minutes. It’s part of the growing pains of a young team; the Fever found ways to lose and the Liberty found ways to win on Wednesday.
Connecticut Sun (15-5) over Chicago Sky (8-12), 84-72
DeWanna Bonner and Alyssa Thomas were as dominant as ever in their win against Chicago. Bonner ended the night with 21 points and six rebounds and Thomas flirted with a triple-double, finishing the night with 19 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds. Tiffany Hayes led all Sun players with 22 points.
The Chicago Sky got good performances from Kahleah Copper and Elizabeth Williams. Still, they fell short during the third quarter, when they were outscored 27-15. Chicago will go into the break holding onto the eighth and final playoff spot.
Dallas Wings (11-9) over Minnesota Lynx (9-11), 107-67
Dallas played one of their most dominant games of the season, beating the Lynx by 40 points. It had four double-digit starters; Natasha Howard led the way with 28 points and 14 rebounds. It dominated from the jump and outscored Minnesota in every quarter. The Lynx will want to get over this defeat quickly as no one played well in the blowout loss.
Atlanta Dream (11-8) over Seattle Storm (4-16), 85-75
Atlanta continues to impress as they rack up wins and end the first half with an 11-8 record. They only won by 10, but dominated throughout the first three quarters, leading by as many as 24, and only let the Storm cut the deficit down during garbage time in the fourth.
Cheyenne Parker, Natasha Howard and Allisha Gray all had double-digit points, but Jordan Horston was the best offensive player of the night, scoring 23 points for the Storm in the loss. Jewell Loyd missed the game with a right foot injury, but there is optimism she’ll be able to return after the break.