A'ja Wilson’s 34 points power Aces past Dream for 12th straight win

A’ja Wilson delivered another dominant performance with 34 points and nine rebounds as the Las Vegas Aces extended their winning streak to 12 games, defeating the Atlanta Dream 81-75 on Wednesday night. Jackie Young recorded her second triple-double of the season, finishing with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

Chelsea Gray and Jewell Loyd each chipped in 14 points for Las Vegas (26-14), which used a decisive third quarter to move a game clear of Atlanta (24-14) for second place in the WNBA standings.



The Dream, who had won nine of their previous 11, were led by Brionna Jones and Rhyne Howard with 19 points apiece, while Allisha Gray added 15. Despite their strong start, Atlanta dropped the season series to Las Vegas 3-0.

With 1441 free throws to her name, Wilson also surpassed Katie Smith (1,440) to move into ninth place on the WNBA’s all-time list.


Atlanta controlled the first half, building a 26-18 lead early in the second quarter behind Jones’ inside play and holding a 42-40 advantage at halftime. But the game turned after the break. Gray’s four-point play gave the Aces their first lead at 46-44, sparking a surge that Atlanta could not answer. The Dream failed to make a field goal over the final 6:28 of the third quarter and went scoreless in the last 4:16.


During that stretch, Dana Evans hit a layup, Wilson rattled off eight straight points, and Loyd capped a 15-0 run that pushed Las Vegas ahead 61-48 entering the fourth.

The Dream fought back, trimming the deficit to 76-73 with just over a minute remaining after Te-Hina Paopao’s three-pointer. But Loyd and Gray responded with consecutive threes to seal the victory.