A’ja Wilson was 9-of-11 from the field with 23 points and seven rebounds in the first half Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and her Las Vegas Aces cruised to a 97-78 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks to head into the All-Star break with a 19-2 record.
Kelsey Plum added four steals over the opening 20 minutes and finished with 21 points, five boards, four assists and five swipes to aid the winning cause. Wilson was 0-of-3 from the floor in the second half, finishing with 25 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks on the night.
Wilson came out looking to score. A right-wing three from her 2:20 into the contest gave her nine points and Vegas a 12-4 lead. A Jackie Young three was the other Vegas score up to that point; Young added a reverse layup that made it 18-9 at the 3:54 mark of the opening frame.
Plum gave herself five points on a deep three that made it 21-11. Soon after that, it was back to Wilson dominating. The reigning MVP hit from mid-range to make it 25-11, then scored the next two Vegas baskets, both off turnaround inside looks. One was converted into a 3-point play. Both gave the Aces a 17-point lead, which is how much they would lead by after one.
Vegas took its first 20-point lead on a beautiful Plum handoff-turned-Kiah Stokes layup. It went…
