LAS VEGAS (August 1, 2023)—The Las Vegas Aces clinched a berth in the 2023 WNBA Playoffs, Tuesday evening, with a 93-72 victory over the visiting Atlanta Dream (14-12). The win improved the Aces record to 24-2, and helped them keep pace with the 1998 Houston Comets for the best record through 26 games in WNBA history. Jackie Young led all scorers with 24 points, and A’ja Wilson recorded the 56th 20+ point, 10+ rebound game of her career (20 pts, 11 rebs) moving her into  a tie for 5th place on the W’s career list. Kierstan Bell added a career-high 15 points off the bench for Las Vegas.

Box Score | Photos | Highlights

KEY RUNS

First Quarter Highlights (Las Vegas 25, Atlanta 22)

Atlanta jumped out to an early 8-2 lead, but the Aces quickly turned the tables with an 8-0 run of their own, eventually extending their advantage to as many as 5.  The Aces turned the ball over 5 time in the quarter, but the Dream only flipped those miscues into 1 point. A’ja Wilson led all scorers in the period with 11, as Las Vegas made 10 of 16 shots compared to 9 of 20 for Atlanta.

Second Quarter Highlights (Las Vegas 54, Atlanta 43)

Las Vegas scored 21 of the first 28 points of the quarter and eventually extended its lead to as many as 18, 49-31.  Jackie Young poured in 14 points in the period, while Cheyenne Parker countered with 11 for the Dream. The Aces made 64.3 percent of their shots from the floor, while Atlanta connected on 50.0 percent. Seven of the Aces makes were from 3-point range. The Dream committed 5 turnovers which Las Vegas flipped into 14 points.

Third Quarter Highlights (Las Vegas 69, Atlanta 59)

The Dream whittled the Aces lead down to 8 with less then 4 minutes to go in the stanza as Las Vegas made just 6 of 17 shots (.353) in the quarter. The Dream made 43.8 percent of their shots (7 of 16) in the period, and were led by Nia Coffey’s 8.

Fourth Quarter Highlights (Las Vegas 93, Atlanta 72)

A Haley Jones 3-pointer to start the quarter, sliced the Aces advantage to 7, 69-62, but Las Vegas ripped off 15 consecutive points to effectively end the game. Kierstan Bell made back-to-back 3-pointers to start the run en route to a 13-point quarter. The Aces made 52.9 percent of their shots in the period while Atlanta made 30.8 percent of theirs. The Aces turned 5 Dream miscues into 8 points, while Atlanta failed to score off of any of Las Vegas’ 3 turnovers.

KEY STATS

It has been 1,236 days since Breonna Taylor was murdered. In 2022, three officers were federally charged with conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and civil rights violations. One of the officers later pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy, marking the first conviction in the case.

The ACLU is currently tracking 492 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in the United States.

The Aces shot 52.3 from the field while the Dream made 43.3 percent of their shots.

Las Vegas made 11 of 23 shots from 3-point range, while the Dream went 4 for 20.

The Aces committed 14 turnovers, which the Dream flipped into 3 points, while Las Vegas forced Atlanta into 17 miscues, turning them into 32 points.

GAME NOTES

The Aces have scored 90+ points in 20 of their 26 games this season.

Las Vegas has won 18 straight home games, which is tied for the 4th longest such streak in WNBA history. The 2000-02 Los Angeles Sparks own the record having won 28 consecutive home games across 3 seasons.

The Aces (24-2, .923) are on pace to record the highest winning percentage in league history. Only the 1998 Houston Comets (27-3, .900) won at least 90% of their games.

The Aces continue to lead the league in scoring and are now averaging 94.4 points per game. The all-time record is 93.9 by the 2010 Phoenix Mercury.

Las Vegas has made 50-percent or more of their field goal attempt sin 16 of 26 games this season.

Kierstan Bell scored a career-high 15 points off the bench.

A’ja Wilson posted her 56th career 20+point, 10+ rebound game tying her with Tamika Catchings for 5th place on the WNBA’s all-time list.

Wilson also posted her 70th carer double-double and now has the 13th most in WNBA history.

Wilson has scored 20 or more points in 7 straight games which is one off of her franchise record of 8.

NEXT UP

The Aces are on the road for their next 2 games, traveling to New York for a Sunday, August 6 meeting with the Liberty on ABC that tips at 12 pm PT, and the to Dalls to take on the Wings on Tuesday, August 8 at 5 pm PT.