A’ja Wilson and Tiffany Hayes each recorded double-doubles on Friday as the Las Vegas Aces beat the visiting Atlanta Dream 83-72 to clinch their sixth straight playoff berth.
Wilson paired 26 points with 16 rebounds and added five assists and five blocks for two-time defending champion Las Vegas (19-12), which had lost five of its past seven games entering Friday. Hayes, making just her third start this season for Jackie Young (rest), had 20 points, 10 boards and made 3 of 4 3-pointers.
Kelsey Plum hit four threes and finished with 18 points for the Aces, who outshot Atlanta 44.9 percent to 36.6 percent.
Allisha Gray scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds to pace the Dream, who played without third-leading scorer and top rebounder Tina Charles (personal reasons). Charles notched the first triple-double in franchise history on Wednesday at the Seattle Storm.
Rhyne Howard netted 12 points and Jordin Canada added 10 as Atlanta (10-21) lost its fourth straight game. The Dream trail the Chicago Sky by one game for the final playoff spot with nine games remaining.
Atlanta closed within 66-63 on Howard’s 3-pointer with 8:51 left before Las Vegas pulled away.
Wilson scored the Aces’ next four points and Plum buried her final 3-pointer to give Las Vegas a 73-64 cushion with 6:36 remaining. The Aces went up 75-64 on Wilson’s pull-up midway through the quarter before Hayes essentially sealed the win with a scoop layup that made it 79-67 with 2:12 to go.
Las Vegas outscored the Dream 34-24 in the paint and had a 14-6 advantage in points off turnovers.
Hayes had 10 points to propel the Aces ahead 22-18 after the first quarter. Wilson’s 14 points led all first-half scorers as Las Vegas entered halftime up 44-38.
The Aces went ahead for good on Wilson’s bucket that made it 17-15 with 2:47 left in the first quarter. Las Vegas stretched its lead to 39-29 with 3:51 left before halftime when Sydney Colson fed Plum for a fastbreak layup.
Hayes added seven points in the third quarter, including a layup in the closing seconds that left the Aces up 65-58 entering the fourth.
–Field Level Media