A'ja Wilson scores 21 to lead five Las Vegas players in double figures, Aces beat Dream 86-65
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A’ja Wilson scored 21 points to lead five Las Vegas players in double figures and the Aces beat the Atlanta Dream 86-65 Sunday night for their 20th consecutive regular season home win.
Jackie Young scored 17 points, Kelsey Plum and Chelsea Gray each had 13 points for Las Vegas (27-3) and Cayla George tied her season-high with 11 points. Kiah Stokes added 12 rebounds to go along with five points and two blocks.
The Aces, who the longest active home win streak in the WNBA, are two wins shy of the single-season record for wins set by the 2014 Phoenix Mercury, who went 29-5.
Atlanta (15-16) has lost three consecutive games and five of its last six.
Wilson, who also had nine rebounds, five steals and two blocks, moved past current Aces head coach Becky Hammon for second all time on the franchise's career scoring list with 3,485 points. Hammon, who was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday, scored 3,474 from 2007-14 and Sophia Young-Malcolm (2006-15) scored 4,000 points — both when the franchise was located in San Antonio.
The Aces are averaging 101 points in three consecutive wins by 20-plus points since a 99-61 loss to the Liberty in New York last Sunday.
Allisha Gray scored 19 points, Cheyenne Parker 13 and Rhyne Howard 12 for Atlanta. Nia Coffey added 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The Dream scored nine of the game's first 11 points but Las Vegas answered with an 11-2 run to make it 13-all, took its first lead when Young hit a pull-up jumper late in the first quarter.
Wilson scored midway through the third quarter to give the Aces the lead for good. She tied Hammon’s scoring total with a short jumper with 4:54 left in the third, and moved ahead with another jumper 30 seconds later.
Atlanta scored just three points after Gray hit a jumper that trimmed the Dream's deficit to 73-62 with 5:55 to play.
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