The Las Vegas Aces earned an impressive 87-71 win on Sunday against the Los Angeles Sparks. It was a quality bounce back performance for Las Vegas, as they had dropped two consecutive games against Los Angeles heading into Sunday's contest. A'ja Wilson discussed the victory following the game, via the Las Vegas Aces on X (formerly Twitter).
"I think it was very important," Wilson said of the mental aspect heading into Sunday's game. "It's even more important that we are coming off of a loss (against the New York Liberty)... And them (Sparks) having two wins on us was also the biggest thing we really didn't like. So coming in I think we were all on the same page of just, like, we got to take care of business."
The Aces are still trying to find their groove following the Olympics. Stars such as Wilson, Jackie Young and Kelsey Plum were among the Aces players who participated at the Olympics. Wilson led the USA women's team to the gold medal, but now Las Vegas is trying to get back on track in the WNBA season.
Sunday's game was a great step in the right direction. Still, Wilson believes the Aces would benefit from improving their mentality on the floor.
"I feel like we've lingered around, we've kind of just been in La La Land thinking that teams are going to lay down for us," Wilson continued. "That's not the case. They actually want to beat our a**. So I think now, it was kind of like a wake up factor... We have to really flip the switch and play Aces basketball and I think you saw that today."
Aces' outlook following victory over Sparks
The Aces have won back-to-back WNBA championships for a reason. Las Vegas features more than enough star power and depth to compete in the Western Conference. The other teams in the WNBA are getting stronger, though.
The Liberty hold the best record in the entire league. Meanwhile, the Aces are competing with the Minnesota Lynx and Seattle Storm for the best record in the Western Conference. Minnesota has been especially impressive, with some people around the WNBA world claiming that they can win a championship this season.
The Aces, though, have the recent postseason experience advantage. A'ja Wilson and Las Vegas understand what it takes to win a championship. The Aces will remain confident as the 2024 WNBA season continues.