Aces move up in standings as they scorch the Mercury 83-61

The Las Vegas Aces (23-14) were on the hunt for a ninth straight win against the Phoenix Mercury (21-14).

With the playoffs on the line, the Aces got off to a quick start on both ends of the court. Chelsea Gray got hot with a jumper and facilitating great looks to her teammates.

The Aces went on a 5-0 run to start the first quarter to set the tone for the game.

Phoenix then went on a run of their own to catch up to Las Vegas. The Ac es stayed consistent on defense in the first half, forcing Phoenix to a shot clock violation and getting the steals in transition.

With 5:58 left in the first half, the Aces led the Mercury 33-24. The Mercury held the rebounding advantage 20-17 over the Aces in the first half.

Chelsea Gray did what she did best on the offensive end, closing out the first half on a true fallaway jumper in the final seconds giving the Aces a 43-29 lead going into the locker room.

The Mercury came out with some heat to start the second half, going on a 8-3 run to start the third quarter.

At the 6:25 mark, Kahleah Copper went down on a pick-and-roll play under the basket. She left the game to be evaluated.

“No let up, concentrate on the little things and that’s defense,” A’ja Wilson said before the fourth quarter in regard to how to finish the game.

Las Vegas has moved up to No. 3 in the standings with an 83-61 win over the Mercury.

The Aces shot 48.8% from the floor, shooting 27.3% from beyond the three-point line. They won the turnover battle in this game only giving the ball up six times.

After the win, Chelsea Gray said, “It feels great, it’s a great feeling.”

“Little by little, every game, just keep building, we have the building blocks to do it. Just staying consistent and staying together and having fun doing it,” Gray continued.

The Aces close out the Mercury to earn their ninth straight win as they head on the road to take on the Washington Mystics on Saturday, August 23 at 12pm PT.