PORTLAND (July 9, 2026) – After a 3 game absence, reigning M’VP A’ja Wilson picked up right where she left off with 32 points and 10 rebounds, boosting the Las Vegas Aces (16-6) to a 88-80 road victory at the Portland Fire (9-13) Thursday night at Moda Center. Jackie Young tallied a double-double with 19 points and 10 assists and NaLyssa Smith scored 16 points.

Carla Leite scored a team-high 13 points, followed by Megan Gustafson and Teja Oblak with 11 apiece and Emily Engstler with 10.

Stats | Gallery | Highlights

TEAM	1	2	3	4	Final
LVA	23	22	24	19	88
PDX	18	15	19	28	80

1st Quarter Highlights (Las Vegas 23, Portland 18)
Wilson scored the first basket to make way for an early 6-2 Aces lead, until Leite scored the Fire’s first 8 of 12 points to tie it at 12-all. Bolstered by a pair of 3s from Jewell Loyd, the Aces went on a 11-2 run for their biggest lead of the quarter, 23-14, before Portland closed with the final 4 points. Las Vegas shot 56.2% (9-16 FGs) from the field with 7 assists, while the home team shot 46.2% (6-13 FGs) and was held scoreless from distance. Wilson led with 10 points, while Leite followed with 8.

2nd Quarter Highlights (Las Vegas 45, Portland 33)
After a Portland 3, Wilson notched 6 of the Aces next 8 points for the team’s first double-digit lead of the game. Smith knocked down an and-1 that increased it to 13, 39-26, and the Aces’ lead never dropped below double figures the rest of the half. The Aces shot well once again, hitting 58.3% (7-12 FGs) of their attempts and 2 of 3 (.667) from distance, while holding the Fire to 35.3% field goal shooting and 3 of 11 (.273) from 3-point. Wilson led the way once again with 10 points; Gustafson topped with 7 for Portland.

3rd Quarter Highlights (Las Vegas 69, Portland 52)
The Aces lead dwindled to 7 after a 10-5 Portland spurt out of the half. Las Vegas scored the next 4 points that sparked a 19-9 run to end the period and saw its lead expand to as many as 17. Las Vegas shot 50% overall (8-16 FGs) and from 3-point (3-6 3pt FGs); Portland hit 6 of 14 (.429) and 3 of 8 (.375) from beyond the arc. Young led the Aces with 8 points and Engstler tallied 7.

4th Quarter Highlights (Las Vegas 88, Portland 80)
The final frame began with 5 straight Portland points that cut into the Aces 17-point lead and pulled to 69-57 over the first 2 minutes. After each side scored 2, Las Vegas launched a 7-0 run, boosted by 5 from Young to give the Aces a 19-point, 78-59, advantage with just under 6 and a half to go. With the Aces still holding a sizable advantage, 86-70, with less than 3 minutes to play, head coach Becky Hammon subbed out 4 of her starters and the reserves held on for the win. The Aces connected on 41.2% (7-17 FGs) from the field, but hit on only 1 of their 6 3-point attempts; the Fire shot 52.9% (9-17 FGs) from the floor and 55.9% (5-9 3pt FGs) from 3-point. Sarah Ashlee Barker, Smith and Wilson scored 6 points apiece.

KEY STATS
The ACLU is currently tracking 529 anti-LGBTQ+ bills across our nation, zero of which are in Nevada.

Young dished out a season-high 11 assists and Chelsea Gray passed out 7 for the Aces, who had 23 dimes on 31 field goals.

	FGM-A	PCT	3PM-A	PCT	FTM-A	PCT	OFF	DEF	REB	AT	PF	ST	TO	BK
LVA	31-61	.508	8-20	.400	18-22	.818	4	23	27	23	17	13	12	5
PDX	27-61	.443	11-32	.344	15-20	.750	6	24	30	17	19	8	17	3

Points scored ….

	In the Paint	2nd Chance	Fast Break	Off TOs	Bench
LVA	42	8	9	25	13
PDX	28	15	12	20	29

GAME NOTES

The win clinched Hammon’s spot as head coach for the 2026 WNBA All-Star Game.

With 10 field goals tonight, Wilson passed Seimone Augustus (2,162) for the No. 7 spot on the all-time list. She now has 2,168. No. 6 Lisa Leslie made 2,210 2-pointers in her career.

Wilson needed 11 points to become the first player in 2026 to score at least 500, and she did so with 7:08 left in the first half and now has 521. She hit the 500-point mark in the second-fewest games on record, tying Tina Charles, who scored her 500th point of the 2021 season in 20 games. The record is 19 games, accomplished by Wilson in 2024.

Wilson has now scored in double figures in a league-leading 44 consecutive games

Tonight marked Wilson’s 100th career 20-point double-double, which trails just Charles (110) on the WNBA all-time list, and a league-leading 10th on the season.

Wilson has scored at least 30 points in a league-leading 7 times and has a league-high 4 30-point double-doubles this year.

Young recorded her 15th career double-double, 11th points/assist double-double and 3rd overall of 2026.

Young has now dished out at least 7 assists in 11 games this season, equaling her career high in a season, set in 2025.

Gray has now made 19 consecutive free throws since June 21, when she made 2 of 3 against Golden State.

Tonight is the 7th time this year that Gray and Young have dished at least 7 points apiece (May 28; June 2, 13, 17, 23 & 28)

Up Next
The Aces return to ‘The House’ for their second set of back-to-back games this season, starting with the Phoenix Mercury (8-15) on Saturday, July 11, at 3 p.m. and Sunday, July 12, at 6 p.m. against the Indiana Fever (13-9). The Phoenix game will be streamed on Peacock and NBCSN and locally on The Spot-Vegas 34; Sunday’s game will air on NBC.

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