A'ja Wilson Scores 28 as Aces Beat Fire 98-83 for Sweep

A'ja Wilson scored 28 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as the Las Vegas Aces beat the Portland Fire 98-83 on Tuesday night at Michelob ULTRA Arena.

Wilson shot 7-of-10 from the floor and made 13 of her 14 free throws. It was her 13th double-double of the season. Wilson has 133 in her career, fifth on the WNBA all-time list.

She has scored in double figures in a league-leading 49 straight games. Her run of eight consecutive 20-point games is the second-longest in the league. Wilson has 103 career 20-point double-doubles, second in league history. She has 13 this season.

Las Vegas improved to 19-8 and completed a season sweep. Wilson scored 32 points in each of the first two meetings, both in Portland.

The Aces never trailed. Nine Las Vegas players scored.

Las Vegas led 18-4 inside the opening five minutes. Portland answered with 8 straight points. A 14-5 run put the Aces up 32-17, and they closed the quarter ahead 36-21. The 36 points were a season high for a quarter. Las Vegas had scored 33 twice, most recently against Washington on July 22. The Aces shot 13-of-17 in the period and went 7-of-8 from three, also a season high. Wilson had 10 points and 5 rebounds in the frame.

Portland opened the second quarter with a 6-0 run to cut the lead to 36-27. A three-point play by Megan DiLeo capped a 12-3 start to the period and brought the Fire within 39-33. Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young scored the final two baskets of a 14-4 close, and Las Vegas led 53-37 at the break. The Aces shot 6-of-13 in the quarter and Portland went 4-of-16. The teams combined to make 1 of 11 from three.

A 9-2 Portland spurt opened the second half. Las Vegas answered to lead 59-49 before the Fire trimmed the margin to 63-58, their closest since the opening seconds. Five different Aces scored during a 16-6 run to end the third, and Las Vegas took a 79-64 lead into the fourth.

Portland shot 5-of-18 from the floor and 2-of-9 from three in the final period. The Aces led by as many as 17.

Las Vegas finished 33-of-57 (57.9%) from the field, 9-of-22 (40.9%) from three, and 23-of-26 (88.5%) at the line, with 21 assists and 12 turnovers. The Aces scored 44 points in the paint and 19 off turnovers. Their 19 fast break points were a season high. Las Vegas had reached 18 twice.

Young finished with 25 points on 9-of-14 shooting. Gray had 17 points and 7 assists. Gray passed 4,500 points in an Aces uniform and is the seventh player in franchise history to reach the mark. Her 4 made 2-pointers gave her 663 with the franchise, moving her past Kelsey Plum (662) into eighth.

Jewell Loyd scored 11 off the bench.

Aces coach Becky Hammon was asked about Loyd's aggressiveness.

"Jewell is a huge part of what we do. When she gets going offensively, it relieves pressure across the board. She gives us valuable bench production, creates spacing, and she's always going to contribute in ways that help us win," Hammon said. "When she's knocking down threes and playing aggressively, it makes our entire team better because it puts tremendous pressure on opposing defenses."

Mai Yamamoto made her WNBA debut and played about three minutes. Ta'Niya Latson was activated and saw her first action for Las Vegas. Latson signed a developmental player contract with the Aces after serving as a development player for Los Angeles.

Las Vegas played without Kierstan Bell (right leg), Cheyenne Parker-Tyus (concussion), and NaLyssa Smith (illness).

DiLeo led Portland with 20 points. It was her second straight game reaching 20. Frieda Bühner scored a career-high 16 off the bench. Bühner has set a new scoring high in each of the last two games. She also drew eight free throws. Emily Engstler pulled down 10 rebounds, her fourth game this season in double figures on the glass.

Portland shot 27-of-68 (39.7%) from the field, 9-of-31 (29.0%) from three, and 20-of-25 (80.0%) at the line. The Fire outrebounded Las Vegas 33-30. Portland pulled down 12 offensive boards to the Aces' 2 and outscored them 12-2 on second chances. The Fire bench produced 29 points to Las Vegas' 18.

Fire coach Alex Sarama was asked about the first quarter.

"I think it really came down to that first quarter. For the other three quarters, we were right there with them. The score was essentially even over those three quarters, and we actually won the second half 46-45," Sarama said. "The issue was how we defended the three-point line early. They started 7-for-8 from three, and I felt like a lot of those looks came in transition, which was something we specifically talked about before the game."

DiLeo was asked about returning to Las Vegas.

"It was really special. Las Vegas means a lot to me. I won a championship here last year, so being back in front of these fans for the first time since then was a lot of fun," DiLeo said. "I went into the game just trying to enjoy it, play freely, let the game come to me, and fortunately my teammates knocked down some shots — especially in the second half."

Portland fell to 11-17.

Las Vegas hosts the New York Liberty on Thursday, with the game airing on Prime Video. Portland hosts the Indiana Fever on Friday.