ACES GAMEDAY
WHO: Aces at Dallas Wings
When: Tuesday, 5 p.m.
Where: College Park Center, Arlington, Texas
TV: Fox, NBA TV, SSSEN
radio: KWWN (11:00 a.m., 100.9 FM)
About the Aces (18-11): The Aces have lost three of their five games since returning from the Olympic break.
Tuesday marks the end of a three-game road trip that began with an 87-74 loss to the Minnesota Lynx on Friday. The Aces bounced back to beat the Chicago Sky 77-75 on Sunday in a win that was thrilling right down to the end. A’ja Wilson, the favorite for WNBA MVP, scored the game-winning basket as time expired, while also adding 20 points and 18 rebounds. Wilson leads the league in points (26.6) and blocks (2.7) per game.
Guards Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young are also two of the WNBA’s best scorers. Plum averages 18 points per game, ranking ninth in the league. Young averages 17.1 points per game, ranking 15th.
Point guard Chelsea Gray missed the first 12 games of the season with a lower left leg injury and has been working to get back into shape since then. She had 11 points, eight rebounds and seven assists on Sunday, and coach Becky Hammon said Gray hasn’t looked this confident all year.
Hammon has rotated players in the team’s fifth starting spot over the past two games. Veteran defenseman Alysha Clark started ahead of center Kiah Stokes on Friday, then center Megan Gustafson made her first start of the season on Sunday. Gustafson responded by scoring 13 points and sinking 3 of 5 three-point shots.
About the wings (7-22): The Wings haven’t had many wins this season, but Sunday was a big win.
Arike Ogunbowale scored 33 points in Dallas’ 113-110 win over the Los Angeles Sparks. She is averaging 22.3 points per game this year, third most in the WNBA.
The Wings, who have lost 20 of their last 24 games, have other dangerous scorers such as Natasha Howard (17.2 points per game), Maddy Siegrist (12.8) and Teaira McCowan (11.4).
Dallas’ biggest problem has been injuries. Satou Sabally, who won the 2023 WNBA Most Improved Player Award, was unavailable before the Olympic break due to a shoulder injury. Since returning on August 16, she has averaged 18.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game.
Siegrist also missed 13 games due to a broken finger and Howard missed 12 games due to a broken foot.
The Wings have lost both meetings with the Aces so far this season, and Wilson has reached a historic milestone each time.
In the Aces’ 95-81 win on June 5, she became the first player in WNBA history to record at least 35 points, 10 rebounds and 5 steals in a game. In the 104-85 win over Dallas on July 7, Wilson became her team’s all-time leading scorer.
Contact Callie Lawson-Freeman at [email protected]. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.
Callie Lawson-Freeman Review-Journal
