Three takeaways from Aces’ close loss to Mercury

LAS VEGAS—The Las Vegas Aces’ search for consistency continues for another game.

On Sunday, the Aces lost a hard-fought Commissioner’s Cup game to the Phoenix Mercury 76-70 at Michelob ULTRA Arena. The loss pushes the Aces back to .500 with a 5-5 record, while the Mercury improve to 8-4.

Mercury forward Satou Sabally paced all scorers in the game with 22 points, while Alyssa Thomas put up a double-double for Phoenix with 14 points and 13 assists.

Here are three takeaways from the home side in a close loss

Taking point

Friday’s game against the Dallas Wings saw Jackie Young lead the offense in the absence of A’ja Wilson, and Chelsea Gray got her turn to lead in this game.

She was one of the most consistent offensive contributors for the Aces, putting up a team-high 20 points. Gray also made her presence felt on the court, leading the team with 10 rebounds and also putting up four assists. The point guard got assistance from Young (15 points, three rebounds, five assists) and Jewell Loyd (17 points, six rebounds, two assists).

Running low on reserves

While the Aces got strong performances from the usual suspects, the bench largely could not hold up their end of the bargain.

The Aces did not put up any bench points until Kierstan Bell’s three-point shot in the third quarter. The Aces’ bench would begin to heat up in the fourth quarter, lead by Bell’s eight points, but they were still outscored by the Mercury 28-14 from their reserves.

Turnover problems

The Aces typically take good care of the basketball, but that was not the case on Sunday.

Prior to the game, the Aces lead the league with the fewest turnovers in the league with 12.8 per game. However, they struggled to keep the Mercury away from ending their possessions early, giving up 19 turnovers. They also only recorded 12 turnovers on the Mercury, and the loss in that battle ultimately reflected in the result.