Kelsey Plum scored a game-high 40 points on just 18 shot attempts as the Las Vegas Aces ended the Minnesota Lynx’s five-game winning streak in emphatic fashion with a 113-89 rout in Minneapolis Sunday night.
Plum’s 3-pointer with 4:17 left in the game pushed Las Vegas (17-2) over the 100 mark for the fourth time this year. She was 14 of 18 from the field, including 6 of 9 on 3-pointers, and also dished out four assists.
Jackie Young added 17 points and eight assists, while A’ja Wilson chipped in 15 points and 10 rebounds. Chelsea Gray contributed 14 points and 10 assists, and Alysha Clark came off the bench to tally 11 points.
Las Vegas played without Candace Parker (ankle) but still drilled Minnesota for the third time this year. It canned nearly 60 percent of its field goal attempts, including 17 of 39 from the 3-point line, and dished out a whopping 31 assists on 43 made buckets.
Napheesa Collier’s led the Lynx (9-10), who had six players in double figures, in points with 18. Diamond Miller scored 15, while reserve Nikolina Milic added 14 points and Kayla McBride potted 11. Rachel Banham and Lindsay Allen each chipped in 10 points.
Coming off just its second loss of the year, an 80-78 decision Friday night in Dallas on two Natasha Howard free throws with 0.4 seconds left, Las Vegas put its stamp on the game early. It led 19-7 less than 5 1/2 minutes into the first quarter and settled for a 28-19 advantage going into the second period.
The Aces kept scoring at will. At one point, they were 14 of 20 from the field, carving up Minnesota for one open look after another. Plum drilled a pair of 3-pointers and converted a reverse layup in just over two minutes as Las Vegas took a 54-42 lead to the half.
Gray drilled a 3-pointer at the 4:56 mark for the Aces’ first 20-point lead at 70-50. They traded buckets for the third quarter’s remainder, taking an 80-61 cushion to the fourth.
–Field Level Media