Aces travel to Atlanta for 2nd game of road trip
Who: Aces at Atlanta Dream
When: 4:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Gateway Center, Atlanta
TV: ION
Radio: KKGK (340 AM, 98.9 FM)
About the Aces (14-7): A’ja Wilson is on a historic tear for the back-to-back WNBA champions. In an 84-79 road win against the Seattle Storm on Wednesday, she recorded the second game in the organization’s history with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds. That showing came after she became the Aces’ all-time leading scorer in the team’s previous outing.
Wilson is averaging 27 points per game, but Las Vegas has plenty of scoring threats. Jackie Young and Kelsey Plum are averaging 19.2 and 18.7 points, respectively. They have returned to their normal positions since point guard Chelsea Gray’s return. Gray missed the first 12 games with a lower left leg injury. The Aces are 8-1 with her in the lineup.
The Aces have been battling an illness. Starting center Kiah Stokes missed a win over the Dallas Wings on Sunday with a “non-COVID illness,” according to the team. She returned to the rotation Wednesday, but center Megan Gustafson was ruled out for the same reason. Plum and Young were also sick at different points in June.
About the Dream (7-14): Atlanta is coming off a 78-69 loss to the Chicago Sky on Wednesday, the team’s fifth straight defeat. Allisha Gray, the team’s leading scorer, led the Dream with 20 points. Haley Jones and Naz Hillmon each scored 12. The Dream were short-handed in the matchup, as Rhyne Howard, Jordin Canada and Aerial Powers were sidelined. Howard has been out with a left ankle injury since last month.
Gray, Wilson’s former South Carolina teammate, was crucial in the Dream’s last meeting with the Aces. She scored 24 points in Atlanta’s 78-74 upset in May.
Contact Callie Lawson-Freeman at clawsonfreeman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.
