Entering the final contest of a four-game road trip, the Las Vegas Aces look more than comfortable away from home.
The reigning league champions will aim to complete the road sweep Sunday afternoon against the Atlanta Dream.
After flushing a 33-point season-opening home loss to the Phoenix Mercury, Las Vegas (3-1) posted a win over the Los Angeles Sparks before earning back-to-back victories against the Connecticut Sun.
Four-time league MVP A’ja Wilson had 45 points on Friday in the Aces’ 101-94 triumph over the Sun, going 15-for-18 from the floor.
Wilson continues to evolve as a 3-point shooter, according to head coach Becky Hammon. Wilson had a career-year behind the arc last season, shooting 42.4%, and made both of her attempts Friday, adding to her offensive arsenal.
“Her ability to step out and make someone guard her out there, you leave her open and she’s going to knock that down,” Hammon said. “She’s shooting over 40%, obviously not a high volume (4-for-7 this season). I’d like to get that volume up a little bit more, but as long as she’s shooting it efficiently, I think it puts a lot of pressure on the defense.”
Behind Wilson’s 26.3 points per game, Chennedy Carter adds 19.3 and Jackie Young averages 14.0 points and 6.0 assists per contest.
Atlanta (2-0) will make its home debut after setting a franchise record with 30 wins in 2025. The Dream went 16-6 at home in head coach Karl Smesko’s first year at the helm.
The game is sold out.
Atlanta has picked up a pair of road wins to begin the year, despite a lackluster shooting performance. The team is shooting just 40.1% from the field and has made only 16 of its 62 (25.8%) 3-point attempts.
“We realize that if we’re going to beat Vegas, we’re probably going to have to shoot the ball better than we have so far,” Smesko said. “I’m hoping to continue to see the improvement of one or two things that we really want to see get better for the Vegas game and hopefully that can make the difference.”
Allisha Gray is averaging a team-high 25.0 points per game, while Jordin Canada chips in 15.5. Offseason addition Angel Reese has posted 11.5 points and 15.0 boards through her first two games with Atlanta.
–Field Level Media
