The Las Vegas Aces continue their path to a playoff spot as they face the lowly Dallas Wings in a Western Conference showdown Tuesday in Dallas.
The Aces (18-11) have gone 2-3 since the WNBA’s return from its Olympic break, ranking fifth in the league standings. They are coming off a week in which they lost back-to-back games against the conference-leading Minnesota Lynx, who beat Las Vegas by double digits in both contests.
The Aces regained some momentum by edging out the Chicago Sky 77-75 behind A’ja Wilson’s 20 points and 18 rebounds, including the game-winner at the buzzer. It was a contest that was closer than it should have been, sparking remarks by Wilson about the referees being unfair with their whistles.
“Everyone has to do their job. From the players, to the refs, to the coaches, we all have to do our job. I don’t appreciate being looked at and stared at as if you’re trying to intimidate me, or act like I don’t have a voice on this court,” Wilson said. “If I get fined for this, I am terribly sorry, but it’s ridiculous. We’ve been going through this all season, so everybody’s got to do their job.”
Wilson and the Aces will try to win more convincingly against the Wings (7-22), one of the only teams able to match Vegas in terms of pace. The Aces rank first in pace, while Dallas ranks third.
Arike Ogunbowale leads Dallas in scoring with 22.3 points per contest. The 27-year-old continues to play balanced basketball following the Olympic break, including a 33-point performance in a 113-110 comeback victory over the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday.
“We knew we needed this one, (the Wings and Sparks) both had kind of the same record,” Ogunbowale said. “They got us last time at home, it kind of left a bad taste in our mouth. We obviously didn’t start well, but, you know, that’s how we finish, and that just shows you can come back from anything.”
Ogunbowale has had mixed results against the Aces this year, scoring 31 points in their 95-81 loss on June 5, but just 13 in their 104-85 defeat on July 7.
–Field Level Media