Aces Move Up a Playoff Spot with Win Over Mercury

The Las Vegas Aces took on the Phoenix Mercury on Friday night and secured their 20th winof the season, winning 86-83.

Aug 15, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) shoots over Phoenix Mercury guard Sami Whitcomb (33) in the first half at Footprint Center. | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

The Aces came into this contest against the Phoenix Mercury as the underdog. DraftKings opened the odds for Friday night’s game with the Mercury as 4.5-point favorites. Despite that they grabbed the win, and moved up the Western Conference standings over Phoenix securing the fourth seed. 2024 MVP A’ja Wilson played a big part in the win to help the Aces move up, along with solid play from veteran Chelsea Gray, who made a big defensive play late in the game.

Standouts from Aces’ Win

Wilson had a big first half that allowed the Aces to stay in the contest, as the Aces just trailed by one at the first intermission, 42-41. She scored 20 points in the opening half, which came mainly via paint scoring and free throws. Wilson’s offensive prowess cooled a bit in the second half, but her teammates were right there to pick her up. She ended up finishing the contest with 30 points and 16 rebounds, leading the game in both categories.

Las Vegas looked to be running away with the game in the third, but the Mercury battled back. In the first half, both teams struggled to make any shots behind the arc. In the third, Phoenix began to find its range and quickly cut back into the 58-48 lead the Aces had gained. A layup, two threes, and an and one alley oop made the score a 60-59 Las Vegas advantage going into the fourth quarter.

The game from then on went back and forth all the way until the final whistle.

The Mercury made it a one-point game with just over 30 seconds left in the fourth, 84-83, from an Alyssa Thomas layup. The Aces then proceeded to play the time game and wind the clock down. They gave the ball to their best player, Wilson, and at the end of the shot clock with seven seconds remaining, she went up for a short shot and came up empty. Phoenix rebounded the miss, and called a timeout. They then went to draw up a play to try to help them grab their 20th win of the season. Unluckily for them, 2014 WNBA draftee Chelsea Gray has been in this situation many times and was ready.

The Mercury lined up for an inbound on a sideline with Satou Sabally inbounding. A miscommunication caused her to throw an errant pass that was intended for Thomas, and Gray quickly jumped in front of the pass and stole it. Phoenix was forced to foul, and Gray went and hit a pair of free throws on the other end, helping lock up the win for Las Vegas.

Brutal miscommunication between Satou Sabally & Alyssa Thomas down 1 with 3.6 seconds left leads to Chelsea Gray’s steal that essentially seals the game.#Aces beat #Mercury 86-83.@Sports360AZ pic.twitter.com/0uga9H50nd

— Eliav Gabay (@eliavgabay) August 16, 2025

Gray filled up the box score in the contest with 16 points, nine rebounds, three steals, and two blocks. Guard for the Aces, Jackie Young, also put forth another solid performance, producing 17 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.

The Aces' winning ways do not look like they are going away. Although they had their fair share of down performances in the season, a team with a former league MVP with a talented supporting cast that is now clicking on all cylinders behind her is a team that should not be taken lightly by anyone going forward.