A’ja Wilson scored a career-best 40 points and collected 12 rebounds to lead the host Las Vegas Aces to a 113-89 victory over the Washington Mystics on Friday night.
Wilson made 17 of 25 field-goal attempts as Las Vegas (26-3) topped 100 points for the fourth time in six games and the eighth time this season. The Aces closed the game with a 45-21 burst to match their season best for points.
Kelsey Plum and Chelsea Gray each had 19 points and 10 assists for the Aces, who won for the 10th time in their past 11 games. Jackie Young tallied 17 for Las Vegas.
Natasha Cloud of the Mystics (13-16) had 21 points and six assists before exiting with 4:47 left in the game with an apparent hip injury.
Tianna Hawkins registered 19 points and 10 rebounds and Myisha Hines-Allen had 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists for Washington. Brittney Sykes added 12 points, six rebounds and six assists and reserve Queen Egbo had 10 points for the Mystics
Washington was without two-time WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne (ankle) for the 11th straight game. The Mystics have gone 3-8 in her absence.
Las Vegas never trailed while making 14 of 28 3-point attempts and shooting 54.5 percent overall. Kierstan Bell had 11 points off the bench for the Aces.
Washington shot 43 percent and made 12 of 31 from behind the arc.
Wilson’s basket with 4:31 left in the game gave Las Vegas a 98-81 lead and pushed her past her previous career high of 39, set against the Indiana Fever on June 29, 2019.
Gray’s 3-pointer with 4:07 remaining allowed Las Vegas to surpass 100. The Aces also scored 113 against the Minnesota Lynx on July 9.
Wilson had 24 points on 10-of-14 shooting in the first half as the Aces led 57-48 at the break. Hawkins scored 14 in the half for Washington.
The Mystics used a 10-2 run in the third quarter to knot the score at 68 with 4:24 remaining. Cloud scored the final five points of the surge.
But Las Vegas exploded with a 17-3 burst. Plum ended it with a trey to make it 85-71 with 53.1 seconds left in the period.
The Aces led 88-74 entering the final stanza.
–Field Level Media
