Aces pound Los Angeles Sparks as LeBron James watches
NBA stars LeBron James, Damian Lillard and Dwyane Wade attended the Aces’ game Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Sparks at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Las Vegas made sure to put on a show.
The Aces rolled to a 99-75 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks, improving their record to a hearty 12-4 at the midway point of the WNBA season.
Jackie Young scored 18 points to lead six in double figures. A’ja Wilson had 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Liz Cambage added 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Las Vegas plays Los Angeles (6-9) again Friday before returning home for a Sunday matinee against the Atlanta Dream.
“They’re the homies. They’re our brothers. They be supporting us,” Cambage said of the star-studded crowd. “It does really mean a lot to us to have the brothers courtside.”
The Aces didn’t waste any time strutting their stuff and closed the first quarter with a 10-0 run to take a 28-19 lead. Wilson and Cambage powered Las Vegas to a 55-39 rebounding advantage and patrolled the paint defensively, deterring the Sparks’ shots in the lane.
The perimeter trio of Young, Chelsea Gray and Kelsey Plum probed the paint with ease, creating open shots in transition and in the halfcourt — resulting in a 56-37 halftime lead and a stress-free second half.
Las Vegas coach Bill Laimbeer said he expects the Sparks to make adjustments Friday for the third and final meeting between the teams this season.
“We learned some stuff about them. They learned some stuff about us,” Laimbeer said. “Complacency is a big part of it. When you win a game like that in this fashion, you tend to relax a little bit and think the next one’s going to be the same. It’s not.”
Amanda Zahui B. led Los Angeles with 22 points.
Contact reporter Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.
