Paige Bueckers Scores 20 as A'ja Wilson Dominates in Aces' Close Win vs. Wings

The Las Vegas Aces have some momentum heading into the All-Star break.

A'ja Wilson and Las Vegas held off a late charge and defeated Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings 90-86 in Wednesday's showdown at College Park Center. The Aces improved to 11-11 overall with their second straight win, while the 6-17 Wings are trending in the opposite direction with four straight defeats.

Wilson was unstoppable and finished with 37 points and 10 rebounds on 15-of-25 shooting from the field. It was a second straight double-double for the seven-time All-Star, and she made the biggest play of the contest with an and-1 in the final 30 seconds to extend the lead to four.

Dallas was shorthanded with DiJonai Carrington sidelined and was in comeback mode throughout the majority of the game. Bueckers was brilliant in the fourth quarter and nearly completed that comeback from a 20-point deficit on her way to 20 points, eight assists and two steals.

The Aces just held off the Wings by four points in their first matchup this season as well, although they didn't have Wilson available and instead relied on big games from Jackie Young and Jewell Loyd.

Wilson didn't hesitate to make up for lost time in Wednesday's contest and poured in 20 points in the first half alone as she overwhelmed Dallas' frontcourt with an array of post moves and physicality. It was a dominant showing right out of the gates and was enough to stake the visitors to a six-point halftime lead even though Young and Loyd were relatively quiet.

As for the Wings, all eyes were on Bueckers as the No. 1 overall pick and an All-Star starter in her first season. That was especially true against a veteran-laden squad that seemingly always has realistic championship aspirations, which presented an opportunity for the rookie to continue building on her impressive first season. 

However, Luisa Geiselsoder assumed the early scoring duties for the home team with a combination of three-point shooting and drives into the lane all while she created turnovers and battled for boards on the defensive side.

But any momentum from her first half quickly dissipated for the Wings in the third quarter.

Wilson continued to set the tone inside while Bueckers and the home team went ice cold from the field trying to keep pace. The rookie forced the issue at times, but sometimes that's necessary to counter the three-time MVP.

Las Vegas extended its advantage to 20 points entering the fourth, although it wasn't just a one-person show as Aaliyah Nye took advantage of the open space that came with the defense collapsing inside and hit multiple shots from deep.

It seemed like the fourth quarter would be a formality, but the Wings went on a run of their own and cut the deficit to single digits with Bueckers hitting from deep, scoring from the midrange and dishing out dimes to Haley Jones.

The rookie cut the deficit to two with a runner in the lane in the final minute, but Wilson provided one more answer in crunch time.