Aces roll over Wings for seventh straight win

Dallas Wings coach Chris Koclanes needed just one word during a halftime interview Sunday to describe what his team needed to improve in order to slow down Aces star A’ja Wilson:

“Everything.”

The reigning WNBA MVP couldn’t be stopped as the Aces beat the Wings 106-87 at Michelob Ultra Arena — but neither could her teammates, who combined multiple strong performances to extend the league’s longest active win streak to seven games.

Wilson finished with 34 points for her third showing with at least 30 points in the last four games, tying Angel McCoughtry for the second-most 30-point games in WNBA history with 32.

Four other Aces (21-14) joined Wilson in double-figure scoring.

“All of us, we understand when it’s stagnant that we have to try to get something easy,” Wilson said of what worked in the victory. “We don’t need to try to get the home run plays.”

Still, there were moments that excited the crowd like a moon shot homer would at a ballpark. Forward NaLyssa Smith, who earned a role in the starting lineup shortly after she joined the Aces at the end of June via a trade from the Wings, hit back-to-back 3-pointers late in the fourth quarter to do just that.

Postgame, Smith took to social media and wrote a simple “thank you” to Wings general manager Curt Miller for making the move possible.

The Wings (9-26) were led by Maddy Siegrist’s 23 points, while 2025 No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers scored 18.

Here are three takeaways from the win:

Starting Bell

Fourth-year forward Kierstan Bell scored 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the 3-point line. It was another strong showing since she opened the season saying she wanted to prove herself after seeing limited time on the court in 2024.

Her scoring was pivotal Sunday, as she finished the first quarter with nine points on perfect shooting from deep as the Aces led 31-27.

It didn’t take her long in the second quarter to hit a fourth straight 3-pointer, capping a 10-4 Aces’ run to start the period. Koclanes immediately called a full timeout in response, as Bell had just given the Aces their biggest lead at 41-31.

Bell scored a career-high 19 points in a win against the Wings on July 27 in her first start of the season due to veteran guard Jewell Loyd opting to move to the bench.

Loyd finished with 20 points in that showing and then added 12 points Sunday as Bell continued to hold her own in the starting lineup.

“I guess I have something against Dallas, because I always go off against them,” Bell said.

Wizard Gray

Point guard Chelsea Gray had a double-double with 10 points and 14 assists, tying the franchise record for most assists in a game that she shares with guard Jackie Young.

Gray set the record on Sept. 8, 2021, against the Minnesota Lynx, and Young tied it last season against the Phoenix Mercury.

With just one turnover, a lot of Gray’s passes Sunday went to Wilson.

“Chelsea is a wizard with that basketball and I know she’s sick that she just tied Jackie for this,” Wilson said. “Chelsea does not care if I look at her for five-tenths of a second, she’s darting it. So, she’s someone that’s kept me ready always, because I do not want to get hit upside the head.”

Hammon added that the Aces have been passing more overall, which has translated to more wins.

“That comes from trust, from building chemistry and with each other,” Hammon said. “And that’s how the game is supposed to be played. This game is designed to be shared.”

Avoiding the ‘trap’

The Wings entered the matchup with a nonthreatening record but made things competitive early, with six ties and four lead changes in the first quarter.

Hammon acknowledged afterward that the Wings fit the description of a “trap game” in a stretch that pitted the Aces against multiple contenders.

“It’s that game that you let up mentally, because you’re just supposed to show up and win,” Hammon said. “And the first quarter, I think we were falling prey to it a little bit. … But I think we’re learning how to win and what it takes to win, and we know it’s always going to start on the defensive end with us.”

The Aces next play Tuesday at home against the Atlanta Dream, who won’t sneak up on anyone as the No. 2 team in the league’s standings.

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