Aces narrowly avoid disaster to remain unbeaten in Commisioner’s Cup play

The roller coaster games in Las Vegas have usually been spared for T-Mobile Arena, but Michelob ULTRA Arena decided to get in on the action themselves.

On Saturday, the Las Vegas Aces survived a late scare from Olivia Miles and the Minnesota Lynx to eke out a 100-97 victory.

The Aces now stand alone as the sole team in the Western Conference to remain undefeated in the Commissioner’s Cup in-season tournament, putting themselves one massive step closer towards punching their ticket into the final game on June 30.

“It’s kind of like a midseason measuring stick,” Aces point guard Chelsea Gray described the Commissioner’s Cup.

“You’re kind of looking and comparing to other teams in the league. It’s always good to play for charity and a bigger purpose, and everyone likes money, right? If we can get a couple more wins, we put ourselves in a pretty good position to do that.”

Three’s company

As has been the case many times before for the Aces, their championship-level core was responsible for picking up a massive victory.

A’ja Wilson (24 points, 10 rebounds) and Jackie Young (16 points, 10 assists) both secured double-doubles to push their team throughout the course of the game. Gray was also not too far away from the team lead in points, posting 23 on another fantastic night. While the Aces would receive contributions from NaLyssa Smith (15 points), Jewell Loyd (nine points) and Cheyenne Parker-Tyus (nine points), the trio that has been at the forefront for much of the Aces’ rise to prominence continued to do so.

“I don’t know if there’s a better trio,” Aces head coach Becky Hammon said as she praised her top players. “They got a lot of experience with each other. They know each other’s games inside and out. They know our system inside and out, so they’re a handful. They’re just a lot to deal with, especially when they’re shooting and sharing it like they do.”

Good eye, sniper

The gun-shy Aces look to effectively be a thing of the past, as they have had zero qualms spacing out the floor in recent games.

Gray would make that point apparent from the onset, with four of the Aces’ first six baskets coming from beyond the arc from the veteran point guard. Wilson, Young, Loyd and Parker-Tyus would all record at least one three-point shot on the night, as the Aces fired off a total of 25 shots from behind the line. It has been well-documented how strong the Aces have been in the paint, and the diversified offense can only serve to accentuate both two and three-point shots.

“It’s just numbers,” said Hammon on the three-point shooting. “If we’re not shooting well, eventually, the ball’s gonna go in the hole; we just keep taking good ones. I trust all their work: Jack, [Stephanie Talbot], Chels, Jewell, go down the list. I trust the work they put in at the three-point line.”

Frequent flyer Miles

Miles was already the runaway favorite for Rookie of the Year, but this game has made it clear that more awards are in her future.

Despite a challenging first quarter where she was held scoreless, Miles heated up and never cooled off beyond the first 10 minutes. She would finish with a game-high 29 points, and her work even gave the Lynx two late leads in the final minute. The lack of scoring depth and foul trouble (Natasha Howard would end the night with 22 points after fouling out with two and a half minutes remaining) would ultimately do the Lynx in, but Miles is officially on the radar for a player to watch for the present and future.

“I think she’s a great player,” admitted Smith. “I think she’s shown numerous times that she can be great in big moments, and the stats show it for themselves, but I think she’s doing a great job of what she’s doing.”

The Aces now hope to clinch their spot in the Commissioner’s Cup final on the road, first against the Dallas Wings on Monday.