Guards take center stage for Aces in rout of Lynx

Aces coach Becky Hammon has trust in her guards to make the right play with the clock winding down.

Before halftime in the Aces’ 93-62 win over the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday at Michelob Ultra Arena, the ball was in guard Chelsea Gray’s hands.

She went to her right and hit a fadeaway jumper at the buzzer to give the Aces a 13-point lead, their largest to that point.

“I just wanted to get the best shot possible,” Gray said. “(Minnesota was) in between if they wanted to switch on Candace (Parker) or if they wanted to stay on me. That was kind of my reading that I was able to get to my spot and knock it down.”

Gray scored 11 of her 17 points in the second quarter, and her basket capped an 11-0 run in the final two minutes before halftime.

Guard Jackie Young led the Aces (10-1) with 24 points, and guard Kelsey Plum scored 21. Forward A’ja Wilson scored just eight points on 4-for-14 shooting but grabbed 14 rebounds.

“You want to put the ball in your playmakers’ hands and let them go make plays,” Hammon said.

Forward Napheesa Collier led the Lynx (3-8) with 18 points, their only player in double figures.

Here are three takeaways from the victory:

1. Second-half defensive lockdown

After the Aces’ 96-63 win over the Storm on Thursday, Hammon made sure to remind everyone that the defense has been just as crucial to their early success as their offense.

It was true again Sunday, as the Aces held the Lynx scoreless the final 2:11 before halftime and capitalized on the offensive end to pull ahead.

“When we play out of our defense, it’s a huge separation factor for us,” Hammon said. “When we play that way on the (defensive) end of the floor, we’re very tough to beat.”

Nothing came easier for the Lynx in the second half. They made 14.3 percent of their third-quarter shots and were 0 of 8 from 3-point range. They committed six turnovers in the quarter and were outscored 20-7.

2. Strong shooting first half

The Aces lead the WNBA in shooting, making 50 percent of their shots. They got off to a better start Sunday, hitting 56.8 percent in the first half.

Plum hit five of her six first-half shots, and Gray made six of eight. The Aces struggled on 3-pointers, making 4 of 13 in the first half, but found their shot inside attacking the basket.

The Aces made 71 percent of their two-pointers and scored 20 points in the paint in the first half.

“The ball always ends up finding who it needs to find,” Gray said. “We’ve always stressed that in practice. We were able to knock down some shots, get in transition get some easy buckets, and we’re making nice reads.”

3. Lynx battle despite injuries

Minnesota played only eight players, but they gave the Aces all they could handle in the first half.

The Lynx announced before the game that Diamond Miller (right ankle) and Aerial Powers (left ankle) were out. Jessica Shepard (non-COVID illness) and Natalie Achonwa (maternity leave) were not with the team.

The Aces’ largest lead for most of the first half was seven until Young hit two layups and Gray’s shot before the halftime buzzer gave them a 54-41 lead.

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on Twitter.