Las Vegas Aces center A’Ja Wilson (22) takes a fade away shot against the Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas (25) at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas on Thu Aug 21, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Rich Perez

LAS VEGAS–The Las Vegas Aces (23-14) won their ninth game in a row beating the Phoenix Mercury (21-14) 83-61. The Aces dominated in all four quarters. The Mercury did get within eight points in the second quarter but that was as close as they got.

A’Ja Wilson had another solid game with a double double and Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray and Nalyssa Smith each chipped in 12 points. Dana Evans was terrific off the bench with 17 points.

Game recap: The Aces got a great start in Thursday night’s game leading after the first ten minutes of play 23-17. Las Vegas kept their foot on the pedal winning the second quarter 20-12 and leading at the half 43-29.

The Mercury did get a bit of a slow start but later in the second quarter they began to heat up from beyond the arc. At the half, the Mercury had hit five three’s. Phoenix got as close as 8 points but the Aces pushed it back out before the half.

As the third quarter got underway this game became more and more physical. The Mercury had really stepped up their game and the Aces had to retain their momentum and keep the pressure on Phoenix if they wanted to win this game.

A’Ja Wilson already had a double double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. With 51 ticks left on the clock the Mercury were doing their best to chip away at the Aces lead but continued to trail by double digits. After three quarters the Aces were leading 59-46 with one more quarter to go. The Mercury had won the third quarter 17-16 in a very sparse shooting quarter.

Las Vegas had turned up the intensity, keeping the Mercury off-balance and containing the three’s. The Aces had limited the Mercury’s shots from beyond the arc limiting their shooting to 23%. They had played a solid first half offensively and defensively continuing to dominate in the third quarter. The team was a quarter away from an unprecedented milestone.

The Aces showed no sign whatsoever of slowing down in the fourth quarter. With 7:33 left in the game Las Vegas led 68-50. Through 3 1/2 quarters the Aces had only committed 5 turnovers continuing to push the lead, and continuing to dominate.

They were running the Mercury off the three-point line and playing a complete game on both ends of the court tonight. There wasn’t much Las Vegas wasn’t doing. With three minutes left in the game the clock was no friend of Phoenix as they continued to trail 59-78. The Mercury just plain ran out of time and the Las Vegas Aces had won their ninth game in a row. The final was 83-61.

Las Vegas had dominated this games for four quarters, from start to finish and won their ninth game in a row. Wilson as usual led the charge and the entire team answered. Wilson finished the game with a double double with 13 rebounds and 19 points.

Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young and Nalyssa Smith each had 12 points. Dana Evans was terrific off the bench scoring 17 points. Tonight’s game had boosted the team near the top of the standings.

Alyssa Thomas had the high for the Mercury with 17 points and Satou Sabally chipped in 15 points. They were just not able to match the Aces shooting all night.

Game notes: The Aces are on a crazy ride right now and no matter what is thrown their way, they pull together and ride the challenge out and it has resulted in unparalleled success that has translated into an nine game winning streak with their win over the Mercury.

Thursday night they have their sights on a ninth win. The Mercury are a very good team with long ball threats but the Aces win hoisted the Aces in the standings. There was a lot at stake for both teams going into this game.

The Aces had the advantage of once again playing at Michelob ULTRA Arena. The Arena was another sellout and fans were loud and so very proud. After a rough start this season, the Aces are on an incredible journey right now.

It’s now off to Washington for a game with the Mystics on Saturday with tipoff scheduled for 12:00 PM. The Aces will be in search of win number ten.