Storm set to unleash defense on struggling Aces

Gabby Williams has the Seattle Storm defense thriving just in time for a visit Friday night to the Las Vegas Aces, who can't seem to take care of the basketball.

Williams, the star forward from France in her seventh WNBA season, had a career-high and franchise-record eight steals on Tuesday night in Seattle's 98-67 road win over the Los Angeles Sparks.

The Storm (7-5) have won four of five to pass the Aces (5-6), who have lost four of five.

Williams is averaging a WNBA career-best 14.1 points and 4.5 assists per game to go with her league-leading 32 steals, 10 more than any other player as of Thursday.

Storm coach Noelle Quinn made the case for Williams to be named an All-Star selection.

"If you look at her numbers and what she's done in her career to what she's doing now," Quinn told reporters. "... She does everything for us, and we don't take that for granted that she's playing at a high level this season. And I do think that she should be an All-Star."

Nneka Ogwumike also had a standout game against the Sparks, shooting 12 of 16 for 26 points. She surpassed Tina Thompson for fourth all-time in made field goals (2,639).

Las Vegas has just one win since June 7, and its most recent disappointment came in a 76-62 road loss to the Minnesota Lynx on Tuesday, when the Aces blew a 14-point first-half lead.

Ball security hasn't been a season-long problem for the Aces, but they have 18, 22 and 21 total turnovers over their past three games.

"Twenty-one turnovers. Think about that," coach Becky Hammon said after the Lynx game, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "You're turning the ball over every other minute. ... That's a lot of possessions. It's hard to manipulate those numbers."

The Aces' 62 points marked a season low. Jewell Loyd led them with 12 points on four 3-pointers, along with eight rebounds.

Their rut has overlapped with the injury absence of reigning MVP A'ja Wilson, who has missed the past three games in concussion protocol. Her status for Friday is unclear. She leads the Aces in all major statistical categories -- 20.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 2.6 blocks per game.