Coming up Aces: Las Vegas wins 12th straight game, down Atlanta

Rodney Knuppel

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Coming up Aces: Las Vegas wins 12th straight game, down Atlanta image

The Las Vegas Aces just won’t cool off.

On Wednesday night in Atlanta, the Aces pushed their win streak to 12 games, tying a franchise record with an 81-75 victory over the Dream.

The surge has vaulted Las Vegas into second place in the WNBA standings and turned the franchise into one of the hottest teams in the league heading into September.

A’ja Wilson explodes for 34 as Aces storm to 12th straight win

As usual, A’ja Wilson led the charge.

The star forward poured in 34 points, pulled down nine rebounds and blocked four shots. Jackie Young added her second triple-double of the season with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, giving Las Vegas another weapon in a game that demanded resilience.

MORE: Brittney Griner moves up history book in Wednesday's home game

Wilson now has 11 games of 30 or more points this season, matching her career high from last year. She’s also closing in on the all-time single-season mark of 12 set by Jewell Loyd and Maya Moore.

Even more impressive, Wednesday marked Wilson's sixth game this year with 30-plus points while shooting 60 percent or better, setting a new WNBA record.

Big third quarter

The Aces pulled away in the third quarter thanks to Wilson’s personal 8-0 run that included back-to-back 3-pointers. From there, Chelsea Gray and Jewell Loyd sealed the win with late buckets as Las Vegas held off Atlanta’s rally.

Now 26-14 and 15-3 since the All-Star break, Becky Hammon’s squad looks nothing like the team that hovered near .500 earlier in the summer. With four games left, including a looming showdown with the first-place Lynx, the Aces have positioned themselves as a serious threat to close the regular season on another high note.

Las Vegas will wait until Sept. 4 to play again as they host Minnesota in the first of three straight at home.

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Rodney Knuppel

Rodney Knuppel is a freelance writer for The Sporting News. When not watching, listening or writing about sports, Rodney enjoys following the travels of his three kids, who are all active in their own sports and activities. A huge St. Louis Cardinals fan, Rodney also enjoys St. Louis Blues hockey and is a big Kansas Jayhawks basketball fan.