The Las Vegas Aces will put their six-game winning streak on the line on Thursday night when they host the New York Liberty.
The defending champion Aces (13-1) have been superb in the early going and have scored at least 90 points on 11 occasions.
They fell two points short of the mark on Monday when they completed a two-game home sweep of the Indiana Fever with an 88-80 victory.
Chelsea Gray scored 25 points, while reigning MVP A’ja Wilson produced 24 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and three blocked shots. Wilson has recorded nine double-doubles this season and is averaging 19.6 points and 9.4 rebounds.
Kelsey Plum scored 17 points and Jackie Young added 16, while Las Vegas held the Fever to 31 second-half points.
“It was a tough game, an ugly game in a lot of areas,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said afterward. “They’re not all going to be pretty, so I kind of like those games that test your toughness, test your togetherness.”
Las Vegas is 7-0 at home as it battles the Liberty (10-3), who have won four straight games. New York is 5-1 on the road.
The Liberty defeated the Connecticut Sun 89-81 on Tuesday night in the opener of a three-game road stretch before making the long flight to Las Vegas.
Offseason free agent signees Breanna Stewart (24 points, nine rebounds) and Courtney Vandersloot (17 points, nine assists) each had big outings against the Sun.
It’s no secret why former league MVP Stewart and Vandersloot are meshing so well. The duo has played together overseas with teams in Russia and Turkey and have a deep understanding of each other’s game.
“It’s incredible. Obviously, I think she’s one of the best players in the world,” Vandersloot said after Tuesday’s victory. “She makes my job easier. She elevated my game and holds me to a high standard. That was a huge decision in why I wanted to come here, I wanted to play with someone who would do that. She does that on a nightly basis.”
Stewart has eight double-doubles and is second in the WNBA in both scoring (22.6 points per game) and rebounding (10.3 per game). Vandersloot is averaging a league-best 8.6 assists per game.
–Field Level Media
