GAME PREVIEW: Aces Head to the East Coast for 4 Games in 7 Days Against Playoff Hopefuls
ATLANTA, GA (August 21 2023)—The most difficult stretch of the Aces 2023 regular season schedule continues this week as they head out on an east coast road swing featuring 4 games in 7 days against playoff hopefuls. It comes on the heels of a recently-completed 5-game home stand, all against teams with postseason aspirations, that saw Las Vegas improve its record to 28-4, and maintain a 3-game lead over the New York Liberty (25-7) in the race for the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.
2023 STANDINGS |
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Team | W | L | GB | Pct | |
1 | Las Vegas | 28 | 4 | — | .875 |
2 | New York | 25 | 7 | 3.0 | .781 |
3 | Connecticut | 22 | 10 | 6.0 | .688 |
4 | Dallas | 18 | 14 | 10.0 | .562 |
5 | Atlanta | 16 | 16 | 12.0 | .500 |
6 | Minnesota | 15 | 17 | 13.0 | .469 |
7 | Washington | 15 | 17 | 13.0 | .469 |
8 | Los Angeles | 13 | 18 | 14.5 | .419 |
— | —————— | —- | —- | —— | —— |
9 | Chicago | 12 | 20 | 16.0 | .375 |
10 | Seattle | 10 | 22 | 18.0 | .312 |
11 | Phoenix | 9 | 23 | 19.0 | .281 |
12 | Indiana | 9 | 24 | 19.5 | .273 |
First up for the Aces is a Tuesday, Aug. 22, meeting with Atlanta (16-16). The Dream have dropped 4 of their last 6 games and find themselves 2 games back of the Dallas Wings (18-14) and in 5th place in standings. Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard act as Atlanta’s primary offensive 1-2 punch, as both 2023 All-Stars are averaging 17.5 points per game this year. Cheyenne Parker keeps the boards clean to the tune of 6.9 rebounds per game, and ranks 5th in the league in blocked shots (1.53).
On Thursday, Aug. 24, Las Vegas travels to Chicago (12-20) to take on the 9th-place Sky. Chicago was one game under .500 back on July 2 (8-9), but has since dropped 11 of its last 15 games, falling behind Los Angeles for the final playoff spot. Kahleah Copper is having a career-year for the Sky, averaging 18.6 points per game and connecting on 39.9 percent of her shots from 3-point range
Following the Sky game, the Aces will jump on a flight to Washington DC for a Friday, Aug. 25, visit to the White House where Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Craig Emhoff will honor the team and celebrate Las Vegas’ 2022 WNBA Championship.
On Saturday, Aug. 26, Las Vegas takes on the Mystics (15-18). Washington began the year with a 9-5 record, and two-time MVP Elena Delle Donne was playing at her previous all-world level (18.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg) after missing all but 28 games over the previous 3 seasons. Since then, however, Washington is 6-12, and Delle Donne has seen action in just 3 contests. The Mystics are currently tied with Minnesota for 6th place in the standings.
Finally on Monday, Aug. 28, Las Vegas heads to New York for their final regular season meeting of the year against the Liberty (25-7). Despite recent hand-wringing amongst the WNBA’s chattering class, the Aces have a 3-game lead on New York with 8 games to play, and they currently own the season series against the Liberty two games to one.
Las Vegas’ next victory will be a historic one, as it will tie them with the 2014 Phoenix Mercury (29-5) for the most wins in a WNBA season.
Most Wins in WNBA History | |||
Team | W | L | Pct |
Phoenix (2014) | 29 | 5 | .853 |
Las Vegas (2023) | 28 | 4 | .875 |
Los Angeles (2000) | 28 | 4 | .875 |
Los Angeles (2001) | 28 | 4 | .875 |
Seattle (2010) | 28 | 6 | .824 |
Minnesota (2016) | 28 | 6 | .824 |
The Aces have their sights set on a number of other WNBA records this year as well.
Record | 2023 Aces | Current Holder |
Scoring Differential | +13.7 | +12.8 (Houston, 2000) |
Wins by 10+ Points | 22 | 22 (Houston, 2000) |
Wins by 20+ Points | 12 | 13 (Washington, 2019) |
Wins by 30+ Points | 3 | 4 (Los Angeles, 2013) |
Points Per Game | 93.1 | 93.9 (Phoenix, 2010) |
Field Goal Percentage | .490 | .491 (Chicago, 2020) |
2-Pt. Field Goal Percentage | .549 | .557 (Chicago, 2020) |
Offensive Efficiency Rating |
113.4 |
112.9 (Washington, 2019) |
Following this current road swing, the Aces finish their regular season with 3 of 4 games at home—August 31 vs. the Mystics, September 2 vs. the Storm, and September 10 vs. the Mercury. Las Vegas’ final road game of the year is a September 8 visit to Phoenix.