The Las Vegas Aces had a message for the rest of the league on Sunday afternoon in San Francisco. After back-to-back losses threatened to raise questions about their standing as defending champions, A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young walked into one of the toughest environments in the WNBA and delivered one of the most dominant performances of the young season.
A’ja Wilson had 28 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks, Jackie Young added 23 points and nine assists, and the Las Vegas Aces beat the Golden State Valkyries 91-81 on Sunday. The win snapped a two-game losing streak and sent a clear signal: the Aces haven’t gone anywhere.
How the Game Unfolded
After Golden State used nine 3-pointers to stay within 43-41 at halftime, the Las Vegas defense took over in the third period. The Aces held the hosts to 13 points in the first 10 minutes after the break en route to opening a 72-54 advantage.
That third quarter was the game. Wilson and Young didn’t just survive a stingy Golden State defense — they dismantled it at the precise moment it mattered most. Wilson finished the contest having made 11 of her 22 field goal attempts, while Young connected on nine of her 17 shots and an eye-catching five of nine from beyond the arc, helping Las Vegas shoot 47.8% from the field overall and eclipse 90 points for the fifth time this season.
The interior dominance told the deeper story. Wilson and her teammates combined to block eight Valkyries shots while limiting Golden State to just 16 points in the paint. Getting nothing easy around the basket, the Valkyries shot just 9-for-39 from inside the arc — a brutal 23.1% clip.
NaLyssa Smith added 15 points and nine rebounds for the Aces, providing critical interior support alongside Wilson.
The Context That Made This Win Important
This wasn’t a routine regular season victory. The Aces entered Sunday carrying real baggage.
Las Vegas came into the matchup having shot the fewest free throws in the WNBA this season — a frustration that Aces coach Becky Hammon made explicit after a Thursday loss, citing off the stat sheet: “A’ja Wilson shoots one free throw. Chennedy Carter, zero; Jackie Young, zero.”
Hammon didn’t stop there. “I’m very tired of that occurrence. I’m not saying they didn’t earn their 22. But when Awak Kuier shoots more free throws than A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young and Chennedy Carter all combined, that’s a problem,” she said.
The Valkyries were also coming in with genuine momentum. Golden State had built the second-highest point differential in the league at plus-8.4 per game entering Sunday, and were allowing a WNBA-low 78 points per game — the league’s stingiest defense. Las Vegas didn’t just beat that defense. They put up 91 points — a season-high allowed by Golden State.
Golden State’s Injury Concerns
The victory came with an important asterisk for the Valkyries, who may be dealing with more than a bad defensive outing.
Veronica Burton, Golden State’s leading scorer at 15.9 points per game, went to the bench with roughly three and a half minutes remaining and was seen in obvious discomfort, grabbing at her left thigh. There was no immediate word on the extent of the injury. Burton finished with seven points and five assists.
Chennedy Carter also took a couple of hard falls in the first half for the Aces, walked slowly to the locker room at halftime, and played just one minute in the third quarter before leaving the game, finishing with six points in nine minutes.
Gabby Williams led Golden State with 20 points in a losing effort, but the Valkyries were undone by a third quarter they’d rather forget.
What This Means Going Forward
The Aces improved to 5-3 on the season with the win, while Golden State fell to 5-3. Las Vegas will next visit Los Angeles on Tuesday.
For the defending champions, Sunday was a reminder that Wilson operating at her ceiling — a near triple-double that included 28 points, 15 boards, four blocks and four assists — combined with Young’s efficiency and three-point shooting creates a combination that very few teams in the league are equipped to slow down.
The two-game skid is over. The Aces are back.
