A'ja Wilson Reveals Halftime Message That Shifted Momentum in Dream vs Aces

A'ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces beat the Atlanta Dream on Wednesday.

Aug 19, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) during the second half of a WNBA basketball game against the Atlanta Dream at Michelob Ultra Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images / Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Dream, riding a two-game winning streak with huge victories over the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty, went into a huge matchup on Wednesday night against the Las Vegas Aces. This game was huge for the Dream, as a win would have clinched their spot in the postseason and moved them into sole possession of second place. However, things did not go as planned.

The Dream ultimately lost at home to the Aces 81-75, despite Brionna Jones leading the way with 19 points on 9-13 shooting from the field. Dream stars Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard were not at their best, combining for 34 points, but shot just 13-39 from the field and 3-17 from three-point range.

The @LVAces extend the league’s longest win streak this season to 12 with an 81–75 win over the Dream!

▪️ A’ja Wilson – 34 PTS | 10 REB | 4 BLK
▪️ Jackie Young – 10 PTS | 10 AST I 11 REB
▪️Chelsea Gray – 14 PTS | 5 AST | 3 3PM

Jackie Young records her 2nd career… pic.twitter.com/aAfvbUP3DG

— WNBA (@WNBA) August 28, 2025

The Aces were led by MVP candidate A'ja Wilson, who lit up Atlanta with 34 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 blocks on 13-21 shooting from the field. The Aces are now ahead of the Dream in the standings, sitting 5.5 games behind the first-place Minnesota Lynx.

Dream's game-changing third quarter

The Dream were hanging on tight with Wilson and the Aces for most of the game, but an abysmal third quarter got the best of them. In the third quarter, the Aces outscored the Dream 21-6, as Atlanta shot just 2-19 from the field and 0-7 from beyond the arc.

After the game, A'ja Wilson revealed what was said at halftime that gave the Aces some game-shifting motivation, resulting in their dominant third quarter.

"Play better defense," Wilson said. "They have a great team, they have a great big. [Brionna] Jones got off to a great start, and we just had to limit those easy baskets. In the W, and the players that we play against, easy buckets are heartbreakers, because they're so good at what they do. If you can make it difficult just a little bit, you can kind of win and go from there."

The Dream had a two-point lead heading into halftime, but trailed by 13 after the third quarter. If they did not let the Aces' third-quarter defense dictate the game, then they likely would have come out with a win on Wednesday night.

Of course, they can not change the outcome of Wednesday's game now, and falling behind in the standings certainly hurts, but all they can do now is move on. The Dream now head into a big matchup against Rookie of the Year frontrunner Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings on Friday, looking to get back in the win column.

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