Aces extend winning streak to 8 in potential ‘playoff matchup’ preview
A’ja Wilson credited the Aces’ ability to weather storms as a reason for their improved play, and the Atlanta Dream made sure to test that fortitude Tuesday at Michelob Ultra Arena.
After 15 lead changes, nine ties and three coaches’ challenges, the Aces held on for a 74-72 win against the No. 2 team in the WNBA’s standings and extended the league’s longest active winning streak to eight games.
Wilson scored 32 points and added 12 rebounds in the victory for her fourth 30-point game in her last five outings. Her performance included a go-ahead midrange fadeaway jumper over veteran center Brittney Griner with 1:15 left to play.
“I knew once the ball got to me, I had to shoot it, and I had to get open. And when you’re being guarded by a great defender like (Griner), it’s kind of tough,” Wilson said. “So I just had to get to my spot and try to get it up there the best way I could. And it fell. So that gave me some confidence.”
Guard Jackie Young added 16 points for the Aces (22-14), while point guard Chelsea Gray had eight points, seven rebounds and 11 assists.
Atlanta was led by guard Rhyne Howard, who scored 19 points. The Dream (22-13) had the ball with 15.9 seconds left with a chance to tie or take the lead, but the Aces’ 44th straight sellout crowd roared as Howard missed a floater.
“That’s a great squad that we played against. That can very well be a playoff matchup,” Gray said. “The intensity never changed from our fans, and we need that every single night.”
Great game delivered
Dream coach Karl Smesko was right in saying the matchup should be a “great game to watch” during his pregame news conference.
His team entered Tuesday’s game with an 8-1 record in their last nine road games. Atlanta’s lone loss in that stretch was to the Aces on July 22. When asked if his team had revenge on its mind, Smesko was diplomatic.
“You can see the way they’re sharing the ball right now and the way they’re connected right now,” Smesko said. “They’re really making a push at the end here. A few teams are making a push. We’re going to see who can do it the best.”
The Aces proved their mettle despite trailing the Dream 61-57 entering the fourth quarter. They were down 67-57 with 8:44 to play but responded with nine straight defensive stops after coach Becky Hammon called a timeout.
“I got into them pretty good on that timeout. I just thought we went soft there for a moment. And you can’t go soft defensively with that team,” Hammon said. “So we know we have the ability to lock in. … We’re a different team when we play defense like that.”
The Aces came out of the timeout on an 8-0 run punctuated by a Wilson layup on an assist from Gray. That forced the Dream to call a full timeout.
Wilson scored again to tie the game at 67 with 4:48 remaining. The Aces then took the lead on a corner 3-pointer from guard Jewell Loyd, and kept making plays down the stretch to keep their winning streak alive.
Stoppages and shoutouts
The tense game slowed down a few different times.
The Aces at one point appeared to tie the game at 53 on a 3-point play from forward NaLyssa Smith in the third quarter, but her arm hit Griner on her way to the basket. Atlanta challenged the call and got it changed to an offensive foul on Smith. Griner, meanwhile, had to go to the locker room and came out with gauze in her nose.
Atlanta had another successful challenge with 4.9 seconds remaining in the third. Hammon said after the game she felt the officials had too much of an impact on the flow of the action.
“(We could) sit down, relax, grab a cup of coffee. Because they were looking at those plays for a long time. It is important that they obviously get those plays right,” Hammon said. “But I just felt like the challenges took forever today.”
The Aces did have a successful challenge of their own, as Wilson was called for a foul on Allisha Gray in the fourth quarter that was over overturned upon review. It turned into a block for Wilson, another highlight in a game that saw her honored during a timeout for becoming the fastest and youngest player in WNBA history to reach 5,500 career points.
Wilson’s mother, Eva Rakes Wilson, was sitting courtside and also got a special shoutout from the in-game announcers, but things were too tense for Wilson to enjoy the moment.
“I know they wished my mom a happy birthday. I couldn’t even crack a smile, because we were just losing,” Wilson said. “So happy birthday, mom.”
Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.
