Aces All-Star sets single-game franchise scoring record in rout

Kelsey Plum says she isn’t interested in stats. The All-Star guard didn’t care to discuss her 21 points Friday since they came in a loss to the Dallas Wings.

So did her tune change Sunday, after she scored a career-high and franchise-record 40 points to lead the Aces to a 113-89 win against the Minnesota Lynx?

Not particularly.

“I’ve gotten to the point where I’m just really unattached to any statistical result of how it goes,” Plum said. “I’m just trying to make the right play.”

Plum set the Aces’ single-game scoring record Sunday as the team cruised past the Lynx at the Target Center in Minneapolis. A’ja Wilson scored 39 points in overtime against Indiana in 2019, and Danielle Adams had 39 against Atlanta in 2013 when the franchise was in San Antonio.

The Aces (17-2) still haven’t lost consecutive regular-season games since early August 2022, and they ended a five-game win streak by the Lynx (9-10).

Wilson, the reigning WNBA MVP and All-Star captain, contributed 15 points on 75 percent shooting with 10 rebounds, three assists, three steals and four blocks. All-Star wing Jackie Young scored 17 and had eight assists with zero turnovers, and All-Star guard Chelsea Gray added 14 points and 10 assists for the Aces.

“We did a lot of things good tonight,” coach Becky Hammon said. “That’s what it has to look like. I said it earlier. It’s not about whether you can throw punches, it’s if you can take a punch. You’ve got to get off the mat, and we jumped off the mat today with that kind of game.”

All-Star forward Napheesa Collier led the Lynx with 18 points and five rebounds. Rookie Diamond Miller, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft, had 15 points but went 7 of 19 from the floor.

Sunday’s win also puts the Aces in the Commissioner’s Cup championship game for a second consecutive season. They will host the finale of the league’s in-season competition Aug. 15 at Michelob Ultra Arena against an opponent to be determined.

The Aces next host the Phoenix Mecury at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Here are three takeaways from the game:

1. Plum’s efficiency

The former Washington guard’s historic scoring performance was shockingly efficient. Plum scored 40 points while going 14 of 18 from the floor. Her 77.8 percent field goal percentage is the highest of any 40-point scoring performance in league history, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

“She missed four,” Gray said. “That’s crazy.”

Plum credited her teammates for finding her in good positions and said the entire team was clicking well. She also went 6 of 9 from 3, the most made 3s in a game of her career.

“You get to score 40 because they have to guard everyone else,” Plum said.

2. Locked in from 3

Plum wasn’t the only player who was electric from beyond the arc. The Aces hit 17 3s on 43.6 percent shooting against the Lynx. It was one short of the WNBA record, which the Aces tied against the Los Angeles Sparks on May 23, 2022.

Young had five 3s, and Gray made a pair. Seven players made at least one 3. Plum and Gray said the Aces saw lots of zone defense from the Lynx, which allowed the team to find good shots when they moved the ball.

“We’ll take those looks each time,” Gray said. “We’re not going to change the way we play on that side of the basketball.”

3. Parker absent

Candace Parker was a late scratch for the Aces, listed out with a right ankle injury. The 16-year veteran went down awkwardly and hobbled off the court holding her right ankle on a fast break during Wednesday’s win against the Wings. She played 25 minutes Friday and scored 10 points.

Center Kiah Stokes started in Parker’s place.

Hammon said sitting the 37-year-old Parker was mainly out of caution as the team navigates a heavy dose of games before the All-Star break. She said Parker will need to undergo some evaluations at Aces Headquarters before the team makes a decision on her timetable.

“We want to be more precautionary with her body and just make sure she’s healthy every time we put her out on the floor,” Hammon said. “We’ll re-evaluate in a few days.”

Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on Twitter.