The Las Vegas Aces received their WNBA Championship rings on Sat May 27, 2023 before their game against the Los Angeles Sparks at the Ultra Michelob Arena in Las Vegas (@LVAces photo)

Explosive Aces Crush Los Angeles 93-65

By Barbara Mason

The Las Vegas Aces (3-0) took on the Los Angeles Sparks (1-2) Saturday evening with their head coach Becky Hammon back at the helm. Winning their first two games of the season without Hammond was a pure indication of the incredible caliber of talent on this team.

The bottom line is that the suspension of Hammon is over and this team is ready to make a serious run for a back-to-back championship. Winning the first two games of this young season speaks volumes to the character and talent of this team. With Hammon in front of the Aces Bench the Aces absolutely dominated the Sparks 93-65 in Las Vegas.

The first quarter of this game was a far cry from Thursday night’s game which saw the Sparks take a 25-15 lead to open that game. The Aces played with so much heart leading after the first ten minutes 31-13. A’Ja Wilson already had ten points and Kelsey Plum was right on the verge with nine points. The slow start that Las Vegas had in Los Angeles was clearly in the rear view mirror.

Fans in attendance got to not only see an incredible first half of basketball but also the championship ring ceremony and the unveiling of the first WNBA Championship banner for Las Vegas. The glitz and glimmer that we all love about Las Vegas was on full display at Michelob ULTRA Arena Saturday night.

After two quarters the Aces had distanced themselves from the Sparks leading at the half 46-23. They won the second quarter 28-15. Las Vegas had dominated offensively and defensively. They only had four turnovers to the Sparks 12 and the offensive effort was off the charts.

The Aces shot 56% from the field and over 40% from downtown. The Sparks fell short shooting 36% from the field and only 22% from beyond the arc. Wilson, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young all had double digits in the half.

The Aces had a real drop-off in the third quarter. They just didn’t have the same energy that they had in the first half. The Sparks won the third quarter 23-20 but had a huge hole to dig out of trailing 79-51.

The Las Vegas starters got a break in the fourth quarter; a well-deserved break. With the incredible depth on this Las Vegas team it doesn’t really matter who is on the floor.

Wilson had the high for the Aces with 23 points and six rebounds. Plum finished with 19 points and Jackie Young had 16 points. The Aces only had eight turnovers to the Sparks 19.

Sunday evening the Aces will take on the Lynx in Las Vegas before heading out on the road. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 PM as they try to remain undefeated.