LAS VEGAS (July 3, 2024)—The Las Vegas Aces (11-6) will fittingly celebrate the birth of our nation Thursday, with a 7 pm PT tip against the Washington Mystics (5-15) at Michelob ULTRA Arena. The game is being broadcast nationally on Amazon Prime Video and locally on the Silver State Sports & Entertainment Network.
The Aces enter their Fourth of July contest with the longest active (tied) winning streak in the league at 5 straight games. All 5 of their wins in that stretch have been by double figures, including their most recent victory—an 88-69 decision over the Indiana Fever (box score/recap). That game was played at T-Mobile Arena and was witnessed by the fifth-largest crowd in WNBA history. It was also the largest crowd to attend a WNBA game since the 1999 season.
One game after seeing her streak of consecutive games scoring at last 20 points snapped at 20 straight, the frontrunner for the 2024 WNBA M’VP Award, A’ja Wilson, was back to her old self, scoring 28 points on 13 of 22 from the field, grabbing 9 rebounds and blocking 9 shots. The 6-time All-Star leads the league in scoring (27.0 ppg) and blocked shots (2.47 bpg), and is second in rebounding (11.0 rpg). Her scoring average is threatening to shatter the WNBA record of 25.3 points per game set by Diana Taurasi in the 2006 season.
Wilson also ranks 5th in the league in steals (1.88 spg), 9th in field goal percentage (.517 FG%), 1st overall win shares (4.8) and offensive win shares (3.4), and 7th in defensive win shares (1.4).
Kelsey Plum had the hot hand Tuesday in the win over Indiana, pouring in 34 points thanks in part to 6 3-pointers. She also scored the 3,00th point of her career becoming the 4th player in franchise history to reach that mark. She now trails Becky Hammon by 68 3-pointers for the top spot on the team’s career list.
Plum (18.3 ppg) and Jackie Young (18.7 ppg) are both among the top scorers in the league this year, and they, along with Wilson, are looking to become the first three teammates to each average more than 18 points per game in the same season.
The Aces’ offensive efficiency rating is up to 107.0, which is second only to New York’s 108.2. Over the past 5 games, Las Vegas’ OER is 110.6, as they are making 49.1% of their field goals, and 34.5% of their 3-pointers.
Although Las Vegas ranks 7th in the WNBA in defensive efficiency at 101.6 points allowed per 100 possessions, over the last 5 games that DER is down to 95.4. The Aces are the best defensive rebounding team in the W, but opponents connect on a league-high 37.7 percent of their shots from 3-point range. Even that figure, though, is down over the past 5 games (32.6 Opp 3G%).
The Mystics are in rebuild mode following a 19-21 2023 campaign, and an offseason that saw them lose point guard Natasha Cloud to Phoenix as a free agent and fail to come to an agreement with long-time DC fixture Elena Delle Donne.
They still have their second (Brittney Sykes, 15.9 in 2023), fourth (Ariel Atkins, 11.5) and fifth (Shakira Austin, 10.0) returning scorers from a year ago, but only Atkins has been healthy in 2024. She is the team’s leading scorer at 14.3 points per game. Austin (11.7 ppg) and Sykes (11.3 ppg) are also averaging double figures, but they have played just 6 and 3 games respectively heading into Thursday’s match-up.
That loss of firepower has the Mystics offense averaging 98.0 points per 100 possessions (8th in the league). Their defense is also 8th in the league allowing 102.2 points per 100 possessions.
One of the team’s biggest challenges has been in the turnover department as they commit the 3rd most in the W at 16.2 per game. Washington also takes the fewest free throw attempts in the league, averaging 15.1 per game.
Las Vegas is 30-28 all-time against the Mystics, and although the Aces won the first meeting between the clubs on June 29 of this year, 88-77 (box score/recap), Washington won 4 of the previous 6.