A’ja Wilson’s double-double cools off Mercury in Aces’ 6th straight win

The Aces’ matchup with the Phoenix Mercury on Friday was interesting before it even started.

It was poised to be a battle for playoff position with the Aces sitting at fifth in the standings, right underneath the Mercury. Reigning MVP A’ja Wilson was set to battle against a contender for the award this year in Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas. Both teams had major scoring threats coming off the bench in Aces guard Jewell Loyd and Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner. Aces coach Becky Hammon and Mercury coach Nate Tibbets, who both share NBA backgrounds, are the two highest-paid coaches in the league.

When asked to take her pick of those storylines and contextualize what made the matchup special, an answer came easily to Hammon.

“I think it’s special because you’ve got special players,” she said. “People want to come and see elite players. This game is loaded with them.”

Wilson and point guard Chelsea Gray made sure to prove Hammon right as the action unfolded, combining for equally impressive performances to help the Aces secure the 86-83 win at PHX Arena.

Wilson recorded a double-double of 30 points and 16 rebounds for the Aces (20-14). Gray added 14 points with nine assists.

The Aces have now won six straight for the league’s longest active winning streak.

When the game came down to the wire, Gray also secured the game-clinching steal as Satou Sabally attempted to inbound the ball with 0.8 seconds left on the clock. Gray was fouled and made both of her free throws, then blocked Sabally’s 3-point attempt to put the game away.

Guard Jackie Young added 17 points for the Aces, and Sabally scored 26 points to lead the Mercury (19-13).

It was a slow start for both teams. The home team had the upper hand when it won the opening tip, but the Mercury weren’t able to capitalize with no more than a 4-0 run before Wilson scored on a midrange fadeaway to give the Aces their first points of the game after five minutes of play.

Even though shots weren’t falling for the Aces, easy shots like layups also eluded the Mercury. Despite shooting 26.7 percent from the floor (4-of-15), the Aces only ended the first quarter trailing 17-15.

“It’s tough, obviously we have had some mental lapses,” Wilson said on the TV broadcast. “But our defense is solid.”

Wilson’s ability to draw fouls was crucial for the Aces in the first quarter, as some of her eight points in the first 10 minutes came on 4-of-5 shooting from the free-throw line.

By halftime, Wilson was up to 20 points and nine rebounds. She said afterward that it was the best flow she’s felt all season, and she never felt like she had to force a shot.

She opened scoring in the third quarter at the free-throw line to give the Aces their first lead of the game at 43-42.

The Aces proceeded to go on 12-4 run with multiple fast-break points, and Tibbetts finally called a timeout to stop the track meet after a transition 3 from Young put the Aces up by 10 points.

The Mercury ended the third quarter on a 11-2 run to trail by just one point, setting up the dramatic closing frame.

“We know how to weather storms right now. I think in the beginning, we couldn’t get that. And we wanted it, but we didn’t understand that we have a whole new group,” Wilson said of what has changed for the Aces. “It takes giving each other a lot of grace and a lot of communication, and it doesn’t happen overnight.”

Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.