PHOENIX (Aug. 15, 2025) — Behind another 30-point performance by A’ja Wilson and some late heroics by Chelsea Gray, the Las Vegas Aces (20-14) topped host Phoenix Mercury (19-13) 86-83 on Friday night at PHX Arena to earn their sixth straight victory. Wilson recorded 30 points and 16 rebounds; Gray tallied 16 points and a season-high 9 assists;  Jackie Young chipped in 17 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists; and Jewell Loyd added 10.

Satou Sabally led 4 Mercury players in double figures with 26 points. Alyssa Thomas and Kahleah Copper added 15 apiece.

Box Score | Photos |Game Highlights

First Quarter Highlights (Phoenix 17, Las Vegas 15)
The Aces, down 4-0 early, were held scoreless until the 5:37 mark with a Wilson jumper. Phoenix jumped to a 6-point lead twice, but Las Vegas responded by ending the quarter on a 9-5 run, spearheaded by 4 straight points from Wilson. The Aces shot a chilly 26.7% (4-15 FGs) from the field and Phoenix netted 36.8% (7-19 FGs). Both teams were cold from beyond the arc, shooting a combined 2 of 10 (.200), with the Aces lone 3-pointer coming from Loyd. All 5 Phoenix starters got on the board, led by Sabally with 5, while Wilson led all scorers with 8.

Second Quarter Highlights (Phoenix 42, Las Vegas 41)
The Aces tied it up 17-all but Phoenix strung together an 8-2 spurt for a 25-19 lead with 7:42 on the clock. Wilson scored 8 points in a 9-3 run that evened things up 28-28 at 5:33. Phoenix broke a 30-30 tie with a 3-pointer at 4:45 and retained a slim lead the remainder of the half. The Aces shooting improved to 57.9% (11-19 FGs), but stayed cold from distance, going 0 of 2 in the frame, while the Mercury hit 47.1% of their shots from the field and 3 of 7 from distance. Las Vegas outscored Phoenix 16-10 in the paint. Wilson paced all scorers with 12, while Sabally and Copper topped Phoenix with 8 apiece. Wilson headed into halftime with 20 points and 9 rebounds on 53.8% field goal shooting.

Third Quarter Highlights (Las Vegas 60, Phoenix 59)
Behind 6 points from Young and 4 from Wilson, Las Vegas strung together a 17-6 run out of the break for its largest lead of the game, 58-48, at 3:56. The Mercury stuck back by outscoring the Aces 11-2 to close the third quarter.  The Aces were 6 of 16 (.375) from the field, but still cold from 3-point shooting 1 of 6 (.167). Phoenix made 6 of 15 (.400) from the field and 3 of 8 from distance, two of which came in the quarter-closing run. Young scored a high of 7 points and Monique Akoa Makani chipped in 6 for the Merc.

Fourth Quarter Highlights (Las Vegas 86, Phoenix 83)
Both teams kept it tight throughout the final frame with the margin no larger than 5 points on either side, and 8 lead changes and 4 ties. The Mercury broke another tie to move in front 75-73 with 4:31 to play. Thirteen seconds later, Young netted a 3 and the Aces never again trailed. Young’s 3 sparked a 7-0 spurt during which three Aces scored and extended the Aces lead to 80-75 with 2:51 left. Phoenix sliced Las Vegas’ lead to as little as one point at 84-83 from a Thomas layup with 30.8 seconds to play. Gray, who tallied 10 points in the final frame, not only scored the last 6 points for the Aces, but with less than a second left (0.8), Gray stole the ball off a Sabally inbound pass, sunk two key free throws to seal the victory 86-83 and blocked a would-be buzzer-beating 3-point attempt by Sabally, who scored a quarter-high 11 points. The Merc hit on 58.5% of their field goal attempts and the Aces made 56.2%. Phoenix made 3 of 8 from 3-point and the Aces were 2 of 4, but the biggest difference was at the line where the Aces made all 6 of their attempts and the Mercury were 1 of 3.

KEY STATS
The ACLU is currently tracking 604 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in the United States.

The Aces and Mercury were a near-even from the field as the home side made 45.6% (31-68 FGs) and the visitors hit 45.5% (30-66 FGs). However, the Aces netted just 4 f 18 (.222) from distance to the Mercury’s 10 of 27 (.370).

Las Vegas hit 22 of 26 (.846) from the line, Phoenix was 11 of 14 (.786) at the charity stripe.

The Aces outrebounded the Merc 39-30, including 12-7 on the offensive glass.

The Aces, who have limited their allowed points from turnovers, gave up just 7 off their 11 TOs, while scoring 14 points off the Mercury’s 12 miscues.

The Mercury earned the battle in the paint 38-34 and 13-11 on fast break points; the Aces held the edge on second-chance points, 12-9.

GAME NOTES

The Aces have now won 8 of their last 9 games.

Wilson’s double-double was the 115th of her career, which ranks tied with Nneka Ogwumike at No. 5 among WNBA leaders. Candace Parker is No. 4 with 154.

Tonight marked the 31^st 30-point game for Wilson, who broke a tie with Breanna Stewart and now stands alone in the No. 3 spot for all-time 30-point games. Angel McCoughtry is No. 2 with 32 and Diana Taurasi is No. 1 with 54.

The 30-point double-double marked Wilson’s 7^th of the season and a WNBA-record 23^rd of her career.

With 2 blocks tonight, Wilson needs 2 more to pass No. 9 Ruth Riley (505) on the W’s all-time blocked shot list.

With her 14 made free throws, Wilson (1,403) moved past Lauren Jackson (1,391) and Swin Cash (1,397) and into No. 11 on the WNBA’s all-time free throws made list. No. 10 is Lindsay Whalen (1,407).

With her 8 made field goals, Wilson (1,988) moved past Taj McWilliams-Franklin (1,985) and into the No. 21 spot on the league’s all-time made field goals list

The Aces were without Cheyenne Parker-Tyus (maternity).

UP NEXT: The Aces return home for another 3-game home stand, starting with the Dallas Wings (9-25) on Sunday, Aug. 17, at Michelob ULTRA Arena. The game will tip off at 12:30 p.m. PT and air nationally on ABC. Sunday also marks the “Shooting 4 a Cure” theme game as the Las Vegas Aces are once again teaming up with the Kay Yow Fund for a “Shooting 4 a Cure” campaign. Fans can pledge money for every 3-pointer made by the Aces during the Cancer Awareness Game.