Recap: Aces (17-4) vs Sparks (15-7) – 9/12/2020
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Las Vegas Aces (17-4) | Los Angeles Sparks (15-7)
Aces clinch a double playoff bye with chance to earn top seed in the league.
The Aces needed a win against the Sparks on Saturday, and Las Vegas did just that by defeating Los Angeles 84-70.
With this win, the Las Vegas Aces have clinched a double playoff bye into the semi-finals with a chance to be the top seed in the league with a win on today against the Seattle Storm.
Aces great shooting and late defense secures the win over Candace Parker and the Sparks
Coming into the game, you knew it would be a battle between two MVP candidates in Candace Parker and A’ja Wilson. This game did not disappoint as Wilson had 19 points to go along with eight rebounds while Parker dropped 19 points with ten rebounds, but it was Wilson that led her team to the win today.
The Aces got off to a fantastic start shooting the basketball as they shot 55 percent from the field in the 1st half. A’ja Wilson led the way dropping 12 points while getting to the free-throw line 4 times. The Sparks fought and stayed in the game early thanks to their defense, committing five turnovers early and eight total in the first half. Nneka Ogwumike and Candace Parker combined for 20 of the Sparks 35 first-half points as they trailed 43-35 at the break.
The Aces started the 2nd half just as they played the first half, shooting the ball well as they went on a 14 to 7 run to start the third. However, turnovers continued to hurt the Aces as it led the Sparks to close out the third on a 12 to 2 run being within 4 to begin the 4th quarter.
In a game that showed the strength of the Aces offense early on, it was their defense that stepped up and took over in the 4th quarter. Las Vegas held the Sparks to only 10 points in the quarter and only 4 points in the final 5 minutes of the game.
The Aces once again had scoring from multiple players all game. Angel McCoughtry, a favorite to win WNBA Comeback Player of the Year, shot lights out once again, scoring 18 points on 8-15 shooting. Kayla McBride also added 17 points herself and closed out the game for the Aces, hitting a dagger 3 to put Las Vegas up by ten and following it up with a steal of Candace Parker on the next possession with just over a minute left to play.
Today’s matchup will be a test and the Aces are up for the challenge.
Next up, the Aces sitting at (17-4), play the Seattle Storm who are (18-3). This game is a makeup game that was initially supposed to be played on August 27th. The Storm are coming off an 83-60 rout of the Phoenix Mercury. Seattle was without All-Stars Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart. Bird was out because of her left knee while Stewart was out because of her left foot. Their status for today is still unknown.
As hot as the Aces have been winning five straight, Seattle has been just as hot as they come in winning their previous seven games. The Storm easily beat the Phoenix Mercury as they won by 23 points and once had a lead of 38. They had five players with at least 10 points as Jordin Canada led the way with 13.
The Aces defeated the Storm earlier in the season by a score of 82-74. Breanna Stewart’s 29 points and 18 rebounds weren’t enough as the Aces held on behind A’ja Wilsons 23 points.
The Storm leads the Aces by one game with one game to go on today. This game can be a possible preview of the WNBA finals later this season, and it surely won’t disappoint.
The Aces play the Seattle Storm today at 12pm. You can watch the game on ABC.
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-Jarrett Thompson – Franchise Sports Media
