LAS VEGAS (August 30, 2024)—Tiffany Hayes and A’ja Wilson posted double-doubles in leading the Las Vegas Aces (19-12) to an 83-72 victory against the Atlanta Dream (10-21) at home on Friday night. With the win, the Aces clinched a playoff berth and tied a franchise record with their 6th straight postseason appearance berth. The win also moved the Aces ahead of the Seattle Storm in the race for the No. 4 seed.
Wilson topped out with 26 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 blocked shots and 0 turnovers; Hayes finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds; while Kelsey Plum scored 18. The Dream were led by Allisha Gray’s 17 points.
| W | L | GB | |
| New York * | 27 | 6 | — |
| Connecticut * | 22 | 8 | 3.5 |
| Minnesota * | 23 | 9 | 3.5 |
| Las Vegas * | 19 | 12 | 7.0 |
| Seattle * | 19 | 12 | 7.0 |
| * Clinched Playoff Berth | |||
Box Score | Highlights | Photo Gallery
First Quarter Highlights (Las Vegas 22, Atlanta 18)
Tied at 15-all, the Aces outscored the Dream 7-3 over the final 2:47. Hayes led all scorers with 10 points and Wilson had 8 and 7 rebounds. Naz Hillmon scored 6 for the Dream. The Aces went 9 of 23 (.391) from the field and 2-11 (.182) from distance, while the Dream hit 6 of 16 (.375) field goal attempts and 2 of 5 (.400) from 3.
Second Quarter Highlights (Las Vegas 44, Atlanta 38)
Holding a 29-26 lead with less than 6 minutes remaining in the half, the Aces strung together a 10-3 run for their first double-digit lead of the game, 39-29, at 3:51. The Dream countered with a 9-0 spurt, but Wilson hit a jumper, followed by an Alysha Clark 3 for the 6-point halftime lead. All 9 of the Aces field goals were assisted, and the Aces picked up 5 points off the Dream’s 3 turnovers, while giving up zero points from their lone turnover. Wilson scored a high of 6 for the home side, while Jordin Canada had 7 for Atlanta.
Third Quarter Highlights (Las Vegas 65, Atlanta 58)
The Aces moved ahead 58-48 at 4:06, but were unable to fully shake the Dream. The Aces shot 7 of 15 (.467) from the field and held Atlanta to 7 of 21 (.333) shooting. Plum had 8 points and Hayes netted 7, while the Dream were led by 6 from Nia Coffey.
Fourth Quarter Highlights (Las Vegas 83, Atlanta 72)
The Dream closed to within 3 points early in the 4th quarter but the Aces expanded their lead to 12 late in the game and the Dream never really threatened down the stretch. The Aces shot 46.2% in the final frame and the Dream hit just 27.8% of theirs. Wilson scored 6 and Allisha Gray tallied 9.
KEY STATS
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The ACLU is currently tracking 527 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in the United States, up from 515 at the start of the 2024 WNBA season.
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Las Vegas made 44.9 percent of their field goal attempts (31 for 69) while Atlanta went 28 for 71 from the floor (.366).
The Aces outscored the Dream 34-24 in the paint.
The Aces flipped 10 Dream turnovers into 14 points, while giving up 6 points on their own 6 miscues.
The Aces dished out 19 assists on 31 field goals; the Dream had 16 dimes on their 26 shots from the floor.
Atlanta’s bench outscored Las Vegas’ 18-8.
GAME NOTES
Tiffany Hayes recorded the second-ever 20+ point, 10+ rebound game of her career (20 points, 10 rebounds). It was also the second double-double of her career.
Wilson, who was playing in her 220th career game, grabbed 16 rebounds to become the fastest player in league history to amass 4,500 points, 2,000 rebounds, 400 assists, 400 blocked shots and 200 steals, shattering the previous record held by Lisa Leslie, who took 258 games to hit all 5 milestones. Wilson now has 4,599 points, 2,003 rebounds, 478 assists, 428 blocked shots and 262 steals.
Wilson is the second youngest player to grab 2,000 rebounds, and the fourth fastest to do so in terms of number of games played.
Wilson became the first player in W history to produce a game with 25+ points, 15+ rebounds, 5+ assists, 5+ blocks and 0 turnovers.
Wilson (26 points) extended her streak of consecutive double-digit scoring efforts to 44 games—the longest active streak in the league, and tied for the 16th longest in WNBA history. Should she extend her streak for another 6 games, she will become the first player in league history with multiple double-digit scoring streaks of 50 or more games.
Wilson’s 16 rebounds give her 2,003 for her career, which are the 30th most in WNBA history. Next up on the list is Tammy Sutton-Brown (29th, 2,010).
Wilson’s double-double was the 95th of her career, which is 7th in WNBA history. Tamika Catchings is No. 6 with 96. It also marked her 71st double-double with 20+ points and 10+ rebounds, which ranks tied at No. 3 with Lisa Leslie and Candace Parker. Sylvia Fowles (77) is No. 2 and Tina Charles (99) tops the list.
Gray handed out 3 assists to give her 1,586 for her career—the 8th most in WNBA history. Candace Parker is 7th on the list with 1,634 dimes.
Wilson scored 26 points and now has 4,599 for her career (35th in league history), while Hayes scored 20 to give her 4,526 (36th), Penny Taylor lists 34th on the list with 4,606 points.
The Aces were without the services of Jackie Young (rest).
The Dream were without Tina Charles (personal), Cheyenne Parker-Tyus (left ankle), and Aerial Powers (left calf).
NEXT UP
The Aces travel to Phoenix (16-16) for a 1 pm PT clash on Sunday, Sept. 1. The game is being broadcast locally on the Silver State Sports & Entertainment Network.