UNCASVILLE, CT (August 5, 2018)—The Las Vegas Aces resume their quest for a 2018 postseason berth on the road Sunday, August 5 in a 12 pm PT tip against the Connecticut Sun.
It is the first time the Aces have hit the hardwood since dropping a 104-93 decision to the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday, August 1.
The team was supposed to play the Washington Mystics on Friday, but after needing more than 24 hours to get from Las Vegas to our nation’s capital due to flight cancelations and delays, the players opted not to play due to health and safety concerns (read the players’ statement about the game).
It is still unknown whether the game will be rescheduled, so for the moment, the ninth-place Aces are a-game-and-a-half behind the Dallas Wings in eighth. Las Vegas is also just 4.5 games back of second-place Atlanta. The top eight teams in the WNBA advance to the postseason regardless of conference affiliation.
| W | L | Pct | GB | |
| Seattle | 21 | 7 | .750 | — |
| Atlanta | 17 | 10 | .630 | 3.5 |
| Los Angeles | 16 | 11 | .593 | 4.5 |
| Washington | 15 | 11 | .577 | 5.0 |
| Phoenix | 16 | 12 | .571 | 5.0 |
| Connecticut | 16 | 12 | .556 | 5.5 |
| Minnesota | 15 | 12 | .556 | 5.5 |
| Dallas | 14 | 13 | .519 | 6.5 |
| Las Vegas | 12 | 14 | .462 | 8.0 |
| Chicago | 10 | 18 | .357 | 11.0 |
| New York | 7 | 20 | .259 | 13.5 |
| Indiana | 5 | 23 | .179 | 16.0 |
The Aces have seven games remaining on their schedule—four at home, and three on the road. Five of those games are against teams ahead of them in the standings.
| Date | Opponent | W | L |
| August 5 | at Connecticut | 16 | 12 |
| August 7 | at Atlanta | 17 | 10 |
| August 9 | vs. Minnesota | 15 | 12 |
| August 11 | vs. Indiana | 5 | 23 |
| August 15 | vs. New York | 7 | 20 |
| August 17 | at Dallas | 14 | 13 |
| August 19 | vs. Atlanta | 17 | 10 |
After starting the year by losing seven of their first eight games, the Aces have since gone 11-7, including wins in six of their last eight contests. The team has improved on both sides of the ball, but particularly on the offensive end during its most recent 18-game stretch.
| Offense | Defense |
|||||||||
| FG% | 3G% | TOs | PPG | ORPct | OER | 3G% | DRPct | DER | ||
| 1-7 start | .409 | .286 | 14.9 | 78.9 | .227 | 92.0 | .384 | .738 | 106.1 | |
| 11-7 since | .444 | .372 | 12.4 | 85.4 | .273 | 102.8 | .324 | .777 | 101.7 | |
Las Vegas’ All-Stars—Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player candidate A’ja Wilson and Kayla McBride—have led the Aces back into the playoff race. Wilson is fifth in the league in scoring (20.3), third in rebounding (8.5) and fifth in blocked shots (1.73); while McBride is eighth in scoring (19.3), third in free throw percentage (.917), and 10th in three-point field goal percentage (.402).
Over the last 18 games, Wilson and McBride have been one of the most productive scoring duos in the WNBA.
| PPG | RPG | APG | FG% | 3G% | FT% | |
| Wilson | 20.3 | 8.8 | 2.9 | 46.1 | — | 77.4 |
| McBride | 20.9 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 46.6 | 40.6 | 94.7 |
Kelsey Plum has also been key to the team’s recent success, making 48.3 percent of her three-pointers over the last 18 games, and she now ranks second in the WNBA in three-point field goal percentage (.451). Tamera Young has her scoring average back in double figures as she is averaging a career-high 10.0 points per game.
Connecticut dropped five out of seven games recently to fall to .500 but has since righted the ship with three straight wins, and is now in sixth place. The Sun have five players averaging in double figures led by Chiney Ogwumike’s 14.4 points per game. Alyssa Thomas is the team’s leading rebounder at 8.9 boards per game, and Jasmine Thomas is tops on the team with 4.5 assists.
The Aces and Sun split their two previous games this season with Las Vegas picking up a 94-90 victory in their most recent meeting back on July 7. A’ja Wilson scored 34 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in the win, while Kayla McBride poured in 27.