WASHINGTON, DC (July 13, 2024)—The Las Vegas Aces (15-7) conclude their 3-game road trip Sunday with a 12 pm PT tip against the Washington Mystics (6-17). The game is being broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network and locally on the Silver State Sports & Entertainment Network.
The Aces are the hottest team in the WNBA with wins in 9 of their last 10 games, including both contests on their current coast-to-coast road swing. That recent run has moved Las Vegas into fourth place in the league standings, just a half game behind the third-place Minnesota Lynx (16-7).
During that 10-game stretch the Aces have upped their production on both sides of the ball, ranking first in offensive efficiency (109.5 points per 100 possessions) and third in defensive efficiency (95.4 points allowed per 100 possessions) for a net rating of +14.0. For comparison’s sake, in 2023 when Las Vegas went 34-6 on the year, their OER and DER were 113.0 and 97.7 respectively for a net rating of +15.3.
The Aces are making a league-best 48.1 percent of their shots from the field since June 19, and 36.2 percent of their shots from distance—the second-highest percentage in the W. On the defensive side of the ledger, they are holding teams to 42.8 percent from the field during that time, and they have grabbed the highest percentage of defensive rebounds in the league all year long (.749).
Already the front-runner to win a historic third M’VP award, A’ja Wilson has been even more dominant over the last 2 games. On Wednesday, July 10, she became just the 21st player in WNBA history, and second in franchise history, to record a 20-point, 20-rebound game when she poured in 24 points and grabbed 20 boards in a road win over the Storm (box score/recap). For an encore, the six-time All-Star went for 33 and 18 on the road against the Dream, narrowly missing out on becoming the first player in league history with back-to-back 20-20 games.
Wilson leads the W in scoring at 27.1 points per game, and she is threatening to break the league record for scoring average in a season set by Diana Taurasi back in 2006. She also leads the circuit in blocks (2.8 bpg), ranks second in rebounds (11.6 rpg), 5th in steals, (1.9 spg) and 7th in field goal percentage (.522).
The 2-time defensive player of the year recently moved into 12th place on the WNBA’s career blocked charts list. She also has a run of 4 straight games with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds, which is one off her league record of 5 set earlier this season.
Jackie Young (19.1 ppg) and Kelsey Plum (18.7 ppg) give Las Vegas a trio All-WNBA First Team talent and 18+ point scorers. No team in the history of the league has ever finished a season with 3 players each averaging 18 or more points per game. Young and Plum are also ranked in the top 10 in the league in assists per game with 5.8 and 4.7 respectively.
The Mystics began the year dropping 12 straight games, but since then, they are 6-5 including wins over playoff contenders Chicago and Atlanta. They have turned things around despite being without several major components of their roster for much of the season. Guard Brittney Sykes was the team’s second-leading scorer a year ago (15.9 ppg), but she has played in just 3 games due to ankle and foot injuries. Forward/center Shakira Austin averaged 10.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in 2023, but has seen action in just 6 games in 2024 because of a hip injury suffered midway through last season. They are also without future Hall of Famer Elena Delle Donne, who declined to sign with the team during the offseason.
Ariel Atkins is Washington’s leading scorer on the year, pouring in 15.0 points per game along with 3.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.65 steals. Stefanie Dolson is averaging 10.6 points, which is the most she has averaged since her second All-Star season of 2017. Most of her production comes from beyond the arc where she is draining a WNBA-best 50-percent of her shots on the season.
As a team, the Mystics rank 10th in the league in offensive efficiency at 97.6 points scored per 100 possessions, and 8th defensively allowing 102.6 points per 100 possessions. Over their last 11 games, however, their offense has improved to a 103.5 OER, while the defense is slightly improved at 101.8. Washington is connecting on 39.9 percent of its 3-pointers during that stretch, which leads the WNBA.
Las Vegas won the first 2 meetings between the clubs this year, topping the Mystics in Washington on June 29, 88-77 (box score/recap), and picking up a 98-77 victory in Las Vegas on July 4 (box score/recap).