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A'ja Wilson led from the front as the Las Vegas Aces bounced back to winning ways with an 83-72 win vs the Atlanta Dream at the Michelob Ultra Arena on Friday (Aug. 30). The forward recorded a double-double with 26 points and 16 rebounds as the Aces have managed to now win four of their last five games.
Wilson shot 9-17 from the field and had one solitary attempt from beyond the arc. Her stat line for the evening included one assist and five monster blocks as she swatted off the Dream offense with ease.
Apart from A'ja Wilson, notable performances came from forward Tiffany Hayes who had a 20-point DD2 studded with 10 rebounds. Shooting guard Kelsey Plum had 18 points and 4 assists. The win now sees them improve to 19-12 tying with Seattle Storm for the number of wins. The Dream was led by Allisha Gray (17 points) and Rhyne Howard (12 points).
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A'ja Wilson's consistency puts her in the driver's seat to win third MVP award
A'ja Wilson's monster numbers and the Aces sitting in the top five this season make her a legitimate contender to win her third WNBA MVP honors. To add, the 2024 Paris Olympics gold medal run further adds to her creds as a bonafide superstar of the game.
At the time of writing, the forward faces stiff competition from the likes of Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, and Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark. Per a recent Sports Illustrated report, Wilson is still a 97% favorite to win the MVP and has been listed at -3500 with odds in her favor. Collier and Clark have been battling for the No. 2 position.
Speaking about her run this season was teammate Kelsey Plum who believed that the PF was a unanimous choice.
"We’re watching one of the greatest players of all time in front of our eyes. It’s like dang, oh yeah, A’ja had 28 [points], like, that’s crazy. You know what I mean? I’m serious, I just wish that moving forward, it’s a unanimous vote this year, you feel me?"
This season sees A'ja Wilson notch up 27.1 points, 11.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.9 steals, and 2.7 blocks per contest. She's shooting 52% from the field and 35.6% from the deep. She won MVP in 2020 and 2022 after being drafted as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 WNBA draft.
