PHOENIX -- A'ja Wilson's 26-point, 18-rebound performance led the visiting Las Vegas Aces to an 84-81 win over the Mercury on Sunday, pushing the team back to .500 after a disappointing loss to the Washington Mystics on Thursday.
The three-time MVP made the game-winning bucket with 22.1 seconds remaining, driving to the basket for a lay-in that put the Aces ahead for good after a turbulent fourth quarter nearly doomed them.
A'JA WILSON CLUTCH 🥶
— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 30, 2025
Aces snatch back the lead in the clutch 🔥 pic.twitter.com/cg7AvMG9dD
Wilson made 8-of-19 attempts from the field and 10-of-11 from the free-throw line. Rookie Aaliyah Nye added a career-high 16 points off the bench for the Aces, making five 3-pointers on seven attempts. Jackie Young scored 15 points and dished out six assists on 5-of-9 shooting, while Jewell Loyd chipped in 10 points while shooting 3-of-6.
15 POINTS FOR THE ROOK 🫡@aaliyah_nye's 5-6 from downtown! 👌#ALLINLV pic.twitter.com/XFESA6HBli
— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) June 29, 2025
The Aces gained a little bit of separation with a 19-10 advantage in the third quarter after the teams went to the locker room at halftime tied at 40. The Mercury closed the gap in the fourth quarter and took an 81-79 lead before Jackie Young made a game-tying lay-in with 1:21 remaining.
Las Vegas made 26-of-60 attempts from the field overall on Sunday, including 9-of-24 from 3-point range. Phoenix shot 27-of-71 overall, making 10-of-24 attempts from beyond the arc. The teams' counting the statistics were eerily close, all things considered. Each team tallied five steals and three blocks. The Aces outrebounded the Mercury by a single rebound, 36-25, and they tallied 20 assists to Phoenix's 19. The Mercury outscored the Aces 30-28 and Phoenix commited 20 fouls compared to 19 from Vegas.