Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson (22) makes a rebound between the Los Angeles Sparks guards Rae Burrell (12) and Chance Gray (right) in the first half at the Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas on Tue Sep 22, 2026
By Rich Perez
Tuesday evening the Las Vegas Aces (30-13) played their final regular season game at home taking on the Los Angeles Sparks (16-27). The final was 89-79 in favor of the Aces.
They will finish the regular season on the road in Phoenix on Thursday. While the Aces cannot climb higher than third place in the standings, the Atlanta Dream are hot on their heels a half game behind them in fourth place.
A packed Michelob ULTRA Arena watched the Aces take a nice lead after the first ten minutes of play 24-11. Las Vegas took a 42-33 lead into the half. The Aces outscored the Sparks in the third quarter 23-18 but the Sparks did outscore Las Vegas in the fourth quarter 28-24 but it was the Aces double digit lead in the opening quarter that was enough to keep the Aces fairly comfortable the entire game.
GAME RECAP
The Los Angeles Sparks took an early lead over the Las Vegas Aces but once Las Vegas got going the Sparks trailed for the rest of the quarter with Las Vegas leading after the first ten minutes of play 24-11 which was the Aces largest lead of the game so far. Cheyenne Parker-Tyus finished off the opening quarter hitting the final shot with six ticks left on the game clock. The Sparks had trouble with ball protection committing eight turnovers in the quarter, the Aces had four.
Mid-way through the second quarter the Aces had extended their to 35-18. The Sparks started a bit of a rally as the clock began to wear down, with only three minutes until the half. They cut the 17-point Vegas lead to 11 points 35-24. Los Angeles continued to attack the rim closing the gap only trailing by six points 35-29 with 2:20 left in the first half. Las Vegas pushed back and at the half while the Aces had given up their double digit lead they did lead 42-33.
The only Las Vegas player in double digits at the half was Chelsea Gray with 11 points. The Aces needed A’Ja Wilson and Jackie Young to heat up in the second half. The Sparks were hanging around getting close but continued to play catch-up.
The Las Vegas defense as in their last game was not as tight as they would like and that was something that Chelsea Gray had talked about after their win last Sunday. They really want to get that defense back on course.
Erica Wheeler was finding gaps in the Aces perimeter defense. She was able to hurt Las Vegas in a couple of way; she could penetrate and create but she can also knock down threes. The Aces had to make Wheeler work even harder defensively. They needed to shut her down and force someone else to initiate the offense.
It’s not that the Aces were playing poor defense but they did allow the Sparks to stay within striking distance. They didn’t want this game to turn into a one or two possession game. It iwas interesting that Wheeler is not typically one of the Sparks primary scorers. Nneka Ogwumike leads Los Angeles in scoring.
The Sparks continued to hang around in the third quarter but the tenacity and grit from team leader A’Ja Wilson pushed this team’s lead back into double digits. With 1:58 left in the quarter the Aces had some serious momentum going leading 62-45. The Las Vegas bench was doing a solid job collectively scoring 21 points. As the third came to an end, Las Vegas had a 65-51 lead.
Las Vegas would be looking to finish strong in the fourth quarter. Mid-way through the quarter the Aces were holding strong leading 78-64. The bench did not take the court in the first half of the fourth, the starters trying to put this one away. The final was 89-79 as the Aces won their 30th game of the season.
GAME RECAP
The Aces had a strong third quarter giving them some momentum and despite being outscored in the fourth by four points it just was not enough to get the Sparks over the top.
The entire game, the Sparks did not go away getting momentum but the Aces answered every time. As we have seen so often A’Ja Wilson played the role of stabilizer. She continued to score inside and draw attention which prevented the Sparks from selling out against the perimeter.
The Ace’s defense was more effective at limiting the Sparks’ offensive rhythmn when it really counted. In the fourth quarter the Aces never let the Sparks turn this into a one-possession game. They maintained separation for most of the game. So Las Vegas won with control rather than on a huge run; they built a cushion and kept the lead at a comfortable distance until the clock ran out.
A’Ja Wilson had a double double in the game, 18 points and 10 rebounds the game high. Chelsea Gray finished with 17 points and Jackie Young and Stephanie Talbot each had 14 points.
The Aces will play their final game of the regular season Thursday night on the road. They will take on the Phoenix Mercury with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 PM.
