MINNEAPOLIS, MN (August 22, 2024)—The Las Vegas Aces (17-10) head out on the road this week for a 3-game swing through Minneapolis, Chicago and Dallas with their sights set on climbing back into the top 4 spots in the league standings. First up is a Friday, Aug. 23, rematch against the Lynx (20-8), which tips at 6:30 pm PT on ION.
With Wednesday’s 98-87 loss to Minnesota (box score/recap), the Aces dropped a half game back of Seattle into 5th place, 6.5 games back of front-running New York, but just 3 games behind the second place Connecticut Sun. With 13 games left on Las Vegas’ docket, 5 of those games are against teams ahead of the Aces in the standings, giving them a number of opportunities to make up ground.
| W | L | GB | Home | Road | |
| New York * | 24 | 4 | — | Sept. 8 | |
| Connecticut | 20 | 7 | 3.5 | Sept. 15 | Sept. 6 |
| Minnesota | 20 | 8 | 4.0 | Aug. 23 | |
| Seattle | 18 | 10 | 6.0 | Sept. 17 | |
| Las Vegas | 17 | 10 | 6.5 | ||
| Phoenix | 15 | 14 | 9.5 | Sept. 1 | |
| Indiana | 13 | 15 | 11.0 | Sept. 11, 13 | |
| Chicago | 11 | 16 | 12.5 | Sept. 3 | Aug. 25 |
| Atlanta | 10 | 17 | 13.5 | Aug. 30 | |
| Dallas | 6 | 21 | 17.5 | Sept. 19 | Aug. 27 |
| Los Angeles | 6 | 22 | 18.0 | ||
| Washington | 6 | 22 | 18.0 | ||
| * Clinched Playoff Berth |
Minnesota has been one of the pleasant surprises of the 2024 season, with most preseason prognosticators predicting that they would have difficulty making the playoffs. A year ago the Lynx finished with a 19-21 record, the 8th most efficient offense in the league and the 10th most efficient defense.
They added the likes of Courtney Williams and Alanna Smith in the offseason, and have completely turned their fortunes around on the defensive side of the ball where they now lead the WNBA in defensive efficiency (94.1 DER).
After allowing teams to make 35.7 percent of their shots from 3-point range, Minnesota’s opponents are now connecting on a league low 29.2 percent. It has been more than 10 years since a team finished a season with a sub-.300 opponent 3-point field goal percentage (Los Angeles, 2013, .291).
The 2024 Lynx also rank 3rd in the league in opponent turnover percentage, forcing a miscue on 19.8 percent of the oppositions’ possessions, and they send opponents to the free throw line just 16.3 times per game—the second lowest figure in the W.
Napheesa Collier is having another All-WNBA season, averaging a near double-double on the year (20.4 ppg, 9.8 rpg). At 32 years old, former Aces all-star Kayla McBride is enjoying her best season as a pro, averaging 15.8 points, and a career-high 1.5 steals, all while connecting on 42.0 percent of her 3-balls.
Offseason acquisitions Williams (10.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 5.5 apg) and Smith (11.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.7 bpg, .438 3G%) give Minnesota 4 double-digit scorers on the year, with Smith in particular having a career year.
For the Aces, A’ja Wilson continues to run away with the 2024 M’VP discussion as she is averaging a league-leading 26.9 points and 11.9 rebounds per game (2nd in the W). Her scoring average would shatter the WNBA mark for a season (Diana Taurasi, 25.3, 2006).
The 6-time All-Star is also leading the league in blocked shots (2.74) and ranks 3rd in steals (2.04) and 6th in field goal percentage (.525). The only player to finish a WNBA season averaging at least 2 steals and 2 blocks is … nobody. Nobody has ever done it. In addition, only Yolanda Griffith has ever posted a single-season “stocks” average (steals + blocks) of at least 4.50. Wilson’s this season is 4.778—.278 better than Griffith’s 2000 campaign.
Wilson is by no means a one-woman show, as Kelsey Plum (18.2 ppg) and Jackie Young (17.9 ppg) both rank in the top 18 in the league in scoring (8th and 10th, respectively).
Plum’s 79 made 3-pointers are the 3rd most in the league, and she is on pace to become just the second player in league history to record 100 made 3s in multiple seasons (Diana Taurasi).
Young, meanwhile, ranks 7th in the WNBA in assists (5.3 apg), having played the point for the first 12 games of the season while Chelsea Gray rehabbed her lower leg injury.
The Point Gawd has been back in the lineup since June 19, and the Aces are 11-4 since that time, but 1-3 over their last 4 games. She is averaging 4.8 assists in just 25.3 minutes per game.
Tiffany Hayes, acquired early in the season as a free agent, is making her case for the 6th Player of the Year award. In 18 games as a reserve, the 12-year veteran is averaging 8.9 points while connecting on 48.2 percent of her shots from the field and 35.6 percent from 3-point range.
After leading the WNBA in both offensive (113.0) and defensive efficiency (97.7) a year ago, the Aces are second (106.2) and 6th (100.6) respectively in 2024. They make 45.3 percent of their field goal attempts (2nd in the W), 35.2 percent of their 3-pointers (3rd), and 83.6 percent of their free throws (1st).
On the other side of the ball, Las Vegas leads the league in defensive rebound percentage (.746), but ranks 11th in opponent 3-point field goal percentage (.362).
The home team has yet to win a game in the series this year with the Lynx picking up a pair of wins at Michelob ULTRA Arena, and the Aces earning an 80-66 victory at Target Center,