That was the final score of the Las Vegas Aces’ loss to the Minnesota Lynx on August 2nd, a blowout defeat that worsened their record to 14-14 and cast widespread doubt about the Aces’ ability to contend.
The two-time WNBA champions seemed unrecognizable. Kelsey Plum, who departed for the Los Angeles Sparks in the offseason, appeared to be severely missing. And her replacement, fellow Olympian Jewell Loyd, couldn’t find her touch.
But since that dramatic loss, Las Vegas has found a groove. They’ve rattled off nine straight victories and find themselves owners of the league’s third-best record at 23-14. The same team that was below .500 just a month ago is now just half a game back of the second seed.
It hasn’t been the most rigorous schedule, but the winning stretch includes victories against the reigning champions (the New York Liberty), the second-place Atlanta Dream, and the fifth-place Phoenix Mercury (twice).
During this span, A’ja Wilson is averaging 26 points, 13.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists. Suddenly, the three-time MVP is back in the MVP conversation and carrying her team to victory.
Alongside Wilson, Loyd has found her rhythm — off the bench, she’s averaging 13.1 points on 60.8 TS%. And four-time All-Star Jackie Young, who began the year in a slump, is averaging 16.6 points, 5 rebounds, and 4.9 assists during the win streak.
Veteran point guard Chelsea Gray, who also struggled earlier in the year, is putting up 10.9 points and 7 assists during this span.
“I think [Gray] looks like herself,” head coach Becky Hammon told reporters after Tuesday’s win against the Dream. “She looked different at the beginning of the season because she wasn’t being Chelsea Gray. She looks like Chelsea Gray now.”
There’s also NaLyssa Smith, who was acquired midseason from the Dallas Wings and has played some of her best basketball in years in Las Vegas. Smith, a former No. 2 pick, is averaging 24.2 minutes per night and producing when she’s on the court — tallying 8 points and 6.3 rebounds on 63.6 TS% since the loss to the Lynx.
Smith has been a considerably different player in Las Vegas than in Dallas; with the Wings, she shot 42.1% from the field. With the Aces, her efficiency has skyrocketed to 54.6% shooting. She’s attempting fewer shots, but scoring more points. Albeit in a small sample, she’s shooting well from beyond the arc — 41.7%.
“When you’re surrounded by great players, it elevates you to want to be great,” Smith said after Thursday’s Aces win. “The locker room, the coaches — they’re always pushing you to be your best self, day in and day out.”
Initially, it seemed the former Baylor star may have been acquired to replace Kierstan Bell in the starting lineup, but with Loyd going to the bench, Smith and Bell have formed an effective frontcourt tandem alongside Wilson.
Are the Aces once again in the mix for a championship?
If the playoffs began today, the Aces would face the Indiana Fever, who this month lost Sophie Cunningham, Aari McDonald, and Sydney Colson to season-ending injuries. Caitlin Clark remains sidelined with a groin injury, her postseason availability still in question. The Aces would be favorites in that series, despite the elite play of Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston this season.
A championship is still a way away. The Lynx, who the Aces have yet to beat this season, have been the WNBA’s most consistent team, holding the league’s best record at 28-7 despite dropping their last two games. The Aces will get another crack at the Lynx in September, but for now, it still appears that beating them in a five-game series would be an uphill climb. The Liberty have slipped of late, but at full strength, the defending champs have as formidable a roster as any. The Dream have strung together an elite season of their own.
But, with Wilson at the head — and three Olympic guards alongside her — the Aces are firmly in the mix for a WNBA title.
That’s what the last 20 days have demonstrated, anyway. And that reality would have been hard to imagine after a 53-point beatdown on August 2nd.
