3 takeaways from the Aces’ 82-74 win over Seattle

Before Saturday’s game against the first-place Seattle Storm, Las Vegas coach Bill Laimbeer called it a measuring stick.

The Aces certainly measured up. They outscored the Storm 26-11 in the second quarter and held off a late rally for an 82-74 win at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

A’ja Wilson had 23 points and 14 rebounds, while Angel McCoughtry added 13 points and 14 rebounds for her first double-double with the Aces.

The win moves Las Vegas (10-3) to within a half-game of the Storm (11-3) atop the WNBA standings. The teams will meet again Wednesday.

Breanna Stewart had 29 points and a career-high 18 rebounds for Seattle, which shot 37.3 percent for the game.

“No question our defense carried us,” Laimbeer said. “I thought we came out with a ton of energy defensively and really put them in a bind. They started quickly, but we found our groove defensively and didn’t give them any second shots, contested everything and took away some of the offensive patterns they like to do.”

Here are three takeaways from the win:

Hamby’s play turns tide

The Aces trailed by three with 1.2 seconds left in the first quarter when Danielle Robinson was fouled and made two free throws.

Dearica Hamby then jumped in front of Seattle’s inbound pass and laid it in as time expired to give Las Vegas a 19-18 lead. That was the springboard to a 15-2 run and a dominant second quarter. The Aces never trailed again.

“That was huge,” said Robinson, who had 16 points and seven assists. “Dearica is really good at that. Her sticking around and being able to make that steal gave us momentum, and we carried that into the next three quarters. “

MVP candidates put on show

While Laimbeer has said it’s too early in the season for MVP discussion, two of the leading candidates both put on a show.

Wilson started slowly with two first-quarter points, but she finished 7-for-15 from the floor and 9-for-12 from the free-throw line. She also had two assists and two blocked shots.

Stewart, the 2018 WNBA MVP, didn’t get nearly as much help as Wilson did. She was the Storm’s only player in double figures until late in the third quarter. Stewart was 10-for-25 from the floor and 7-for-8 from the free-throw line but only 2-for-8 from 3-point range,. She added two assists and two steals.

Seattle a ‘tired team”

With the 22-games regular-season schedule compressed into a short timetable, there’s not much time for recovery. Each team is facing long stretches of games every other day.

For Seattle, which has dropped back-to-back games after a nine-game winning streak, Saturday’s game was its 10th in 19 days.

“People are going to hit a wall. I thought Seattle today was a tired basketball team,” Laimbeer said. “I saw that against Indiana, and I told my team I thought they were a tired team going into today. So it’s about taking care of your body and getting your rest.”

The Storm fought through its fatigue for one final push. After trailing by as many as 21 in the third quarter, Seattle got as close as 79-74 on a Sami Whitcomb 3-pointer with 34.8 seconds left. It had a chance to make it a one-score game after a Las Vegas turnover, but Stewart missed a contested midrange jumper. Robinson put it away with a pair of free throws with 21.9 seconds left.

Up next

The Aces will meet the Dallas Wings at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Las Vegas won the first meeting between the teams 79-70 on Aug. 2.

Contact Jason Orts at jorts@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2936. Follow @SportsWithOrts on Twitter.