Aces Clinch Home Court Behind Wilson, Young Double-Doubles
The short version
- Aces beat the Sparks 89-79 to secure home-court advantage in the WNBA playoffs' first round
- Wilson had 18 points and 10 rebounds; Young added 14 points and 11 assists
- Young passed Kristi Toliver for career assists with 1,311
- Nneka Ogwumike scored 17 points in her final game in Las Vegas before retiring
- Aces (30-13) finish the regular season at Phoenix on Thursday
Las Vegas locked up home-court advantage for the first round of the WNBA playoffs with an 89-79 win over Los Angeles in its home finale.
The Las Vegas Aces defeated the Los Angeles Sparks 89-79 on Tuesday in their last home game of the regular season, and the result came with a concrete payoff: home-court advantage for the opening round of the WNBA playoffs. The crowd filled the arena once again for the finale.
A'ja Wilson led the way with 18 points and 10 rebounds, her 19th double-double of the year, while Jackie Young contributed 14 points and 11 assists. Chelsea Gray chipped in 17 points and Steph Talbot scored a season-high 14. Every one of the 10 Aces who saw action put up at least one point.
Los Angeles trailed by 17 in the first half but rallied to close the gap before Las Vegas pulled away for good in the third quarter. A three-pointer from Wilson plus consecutive triples from Jewell Loyd pushed the advantage to 18 late in the period.
Young's assist total lifted her to 1,311 for her career, moving her past Kristi Toliver on the WNBA's all-time list, per the team. Nneka Ogwumike paced the Sparks with 17 points and nine rebounds in what Las Vegas noted was her final appearance in the city before retiring at season's end.
Las Vegas, now 30-13, closes the regular season at Phoenix on Thursday. Its first-round playoff opponent has not yet been determined.
