A’ja Wilson is a drop in WNBA season-high 42, however Wings have the best Aces
Coach of the Aces Becky Hammon took her team to task after the team’s losing 93-90 against the Wings and slammed its defense and stating, “At some point, people have to take accountability.”
By Michael Voepel
Aug 28, 2024 02:42 AM
The two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces got 42 points from star A’ja Wilson on Tuesday, the most any WNBA player has scored in a game this season, but it wasn’t enough as the Aces lost 93-90 to the Dallas Wings .
The defeat reduced The Aces to 18-12, which is fifth on the list.
“We didn’t defend, and we fouled and did not rebound. The 3 shots we made were awfully,” Aces coach Becky Hammon explained. “So it’s not a good combination.”
Las Vegas lost six games during the regular season, and twice during the playoffs after winning their third WNBA title in succession. However, even the fact that Wilson is the most popular choice to win the 2024 MVP title and is scoring 27.1 points a game — the highest ever in the history of the league — the Aces have struggled this season.
They’re currently 4-4 since WNBA play began again following the Olympics They also were beaten in their last game prior to the break as well. Three of their defeats were against New York and Minnesota (twice) they are ranked third and first among the WNBA standings according to. However, Tuesday’s loss was against Dallas who are now only 8-22. In the final game of Sunday’s contest, Dallas had to wait for Wilson’s buzzer beater to beat Chicago who is now 11-18.
Wilson missed her career-high 20 attempts against the Sky but she was back to her normal efficiency against the Wings shooting 16-of-22 in the field. the other Aces were 15-40. The 42 points she scored are the highest score ever recorded by an WNBA player in an official (non-overtime) losing game.
“I wish I could shoot perfect every game, but that’s not always the case,” Wilson said. Wilson who is currently 52% in the league. “I don’t let a lot of things linger, because it takes you out of the moment. I’m going to try to still be productive for my team. Today, it was this … but we didn’t get the win, so none of that matters.”
The game played on Tuesday marked the third 40-point game in Wilson’s career. Three others in WNBA history have played three plus 40-point matches. Breanna Stewart (4), Diana Taurasi (4) and Maya Moore (3).
Hammon has been worried regarding Las Vegas’ defense since before the season got underway. Her question is whether with just 10 games remaining the Aces could improve their defense.
“It can get a lot better, clearly, but it’s the attention to detail,” Hammon declared. “There are many ways to cut down on opponents’ points by simply staying disciplined, and being aware. We weren’t able to argue with our lunch during the second period.
“At some moment, everyone has to be accountable. It is imperative to participate in pick-and-roll. You need to keep your man out. You need to aid the bigs as they’ve got those massive bodies that crash every single time. If you know precisely what the opposing team has to do, but you’re not able to manage it, then that’s a problem.
“I can’t force them to do it. They have to take the initiative. What should I do? Take them out? The people I put in there did not bounce back.”
The Aces were beaten by 40-26 including Dallas centre Teaira McCowan receiving 17 rebound. Las Vegas is seventh in the WNBA in rebounding, averaging 34.4 each game. It’s not too different than the previous season’s 34.8 average, however the Aces aren’t as efficient offensively this year like the team was in 2023 aside from Wilson.
“We have to figure out how to get stops down the stretch when it matters, and we haven’t shown the ability to keep leads, which is disappointing,” Hammon stated. “You have to defend. We’re not that good offensively this year to give up 93. We haven’t shot it well. We haven’t moved it well enough.”
The previous season Dallas reached the WNBA semifinals but fell 3-1 against the Aces. Satou Sabally 2023, the WNBA Most Improved Player, was unavailable for in the early part of this season after she was able to recover after a shoulder injury, and was preparing for her participation in Germany at the Olympics. Sabally has been a major contribution to the Wings during the five games she played since she returned following she returned from Paris Games: She is scoring 20.2 scores, 6.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists. On Tuesday, she had 28, 7 and 5.
Dallas is now winning back-to-back at the start of May for the first time in a while. the Wings defeated their opponents the Los Angeles Sparks with 113-110 victory on Sunday.