Las Vegas center A’ja Wilson is on the brink of reaching another milestone, a feat that could be achieved with a strong performance on Sunday.
The Aces will be facing the Connecticut Sun at home in a showdown between two of the top teams in the WNBA.
The Sun currently hold the third spot in the league’s overall standings, while the two-time defending champions Aces are in fourth place.
Wilson, who leads the league in scoring with an average of 27.0 points per game, has already scored a WNBA single-season record 971 points and is closing in on the 1,000-point mark with only three regular-season games left. Last year, Wilson scored 912 points.
She also tops the league with 2.7 blocks per game and has the second-highest rebound average at 12.1, just behind Chicago’s injured rookie Angel Reese at 13.1.
The Aces (24-13) secured their second consecutive victory by defeating Indiana 78-74 on Friday night, with Chelsea Gray scoring 21 points. Wilson contributed with 15 points and 17 rebounds for Las Vegas.
“I’ve been feeling great since the Olympic break,” Gray stated. “September is the time when you want to be at your peak performance.”
“I just believed in myself.”
Gray made 7 of 11 shots, including two 3-pointers. This was her highest scoring game since late June.
“It’s impressive to see Chelsea perform so efficiently, making big shots,” said Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon.
The Sun (27-10) extended their winning streak to three games by defeating Phoenix 88-69 on Friday, with Brionna Jones scoring 20 points.
“We played as a team and secured another important road victory,” said Sun coach Stephanie White.
The Aces are aware that Connecticut has won their last four away games.
“Connecticut is a tough team to face,” said Las Vegas guard Kelsey Plum. “We have a challenging schedule ahead of us. Our focus is on the next game.”
Hammon emphasized the need for better offensive rhythm from the Aces, but acknowledged their strong defensive game.
“Our defense is improving and that gives us a chance,” Hammon added.
Connecticut’s Marina Mabrey made three 3-pointers on Friday night, bringing her total to 11 shots from beyond the arc in the last three games combined.
“Once the defense focuses on Mabrey, it opens up opportunities for the rest of us to take shots with confidence,” explained Jones.
The Aces previously defeated Connecticut 85-74 on June 21. After that game, the Sun went 11-9, while Las Vegas secured another victory at 72-67 on Sept. 6 at Connecticut. The Sun have won all three of their games since then.
Connecticut will wrap up their four-game road stretch on Sunday, which also marks their final away game of the regular season.
