After scoring 71 points in her past two games to widen her lead in the WNBA scoring race, A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces open a four-game road trip Friday night against the Connecticut Sun in Uncasville, Conn.
Wilson followed up a 41-point outburst at the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday with a 30-point effort on Tuesday in Las Vegas’ 90-71 home win over the Chicago Sky.
The frontrunner to win her third MVP Award, Wilson is averaging a league-best 27.5 points and second-best 12.1 rebounds per game entering Thursday.
Tuesday’s 30-point showing was Wilson’s 11th such performance this season; the Aces are 8-3 in those games.
Las Vegas (21-12) hit 52.5 percent of its shots on Tuesday and dished out 25 assists to win its third straight. Tiffany Hayes contributed 20 points and Chelsea Gray added a double-double (13 points, 10 assists) to complement Wilson’s explosive game.
“Two-plus passes and we shoot a way better percentage than when it’s just one pass or no pass,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said.
“It’s a fine balance for a coach because one of the greatest assets we have is our individual play and one of our greatest weaknesses is individual talent.”
The defending champions are averaging 90 points during their three-game win streak and are 4-1 since losing four of five July 16-Aug. 23.
Connecticut (24-9), meanwhile, had won five of six before dropping a 71-64 home contest to the Seattle Storm on Tuesday. The Sun shot just 41.4 percent from the floor and posted their second-fewest points in a game this season.
DeWanna Bonner scored 26 points and Brionna Jones added 21, but Connecticut could not hold on to a 12-point lead in the first quarter. The Sun were outscored 58-46 across the final three quarters.
“We had opportunities and shot ourselves in the foot, whether it was turnovers, not knocking down open shots, staying on one side of the floor, holding the ball,” Connecticut coach Stephanie White said.
The second-place Sun lead the fourth-place Aces by three games, though both squads have clinched a playoff berth.
The teams meet for the final time in the regular season at Las Vegas on Sept. 15.
–Field Level Media