Chicago. Sunday afternoon. A’ja Wilson hit the floor hard with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter. She’d just picked off a pass, landed awkwardly, and her right ankle twisted underneath her. The United Center went quiet for a second. Wilson grabbed at her ankle, winced, then got up on her own. Walked to the bench. Got taped up. Came back a few minutes later and finished the game like nothing happened.
Nothing happened? She finished with 30 points, 15 rebounds, four steals and three blocks. That stat line has never been done in WNBA history. Ever. StatMuse confirmed it. Wilson shot 8-of-14 from the field and went 13-of-16 from the free-throw line. The Aces beat the Sky 107-99. It was their fourth win in five games.
The ankle thing? Not a big deal to her
After the game, Wilson basically shrugged it off. “It’s all right. It’s an ankle, so it’s gonna snap back. I should be good after some nice treatment,” she told CBS Sports’ Emily Proud on the court.
She was more interested in talking about how her team fought through a slow start. Chicago pushed the pace early. The Aces trailed after the first quarter. Then they dropped 30 points in the second quarter and took an 18-point lead. Never looked back.
“You just have to attack. You gotta be aggressive against people who are a little bit faster than you. They’re pushing the pace, but you can’t let that deter you from what you can do on the court and getting to your spots,” Wilson said. “I think we did a pretty good job of (stepping on) the gas pedal. Keeping it going.”
The four-time MVP is having one of those seasons where you run out of ways to say she’s dominant. She’s the Aces’ engine. And she’s doing it while every team in the league throws its best game plan at her.
What this win means
Las Vegas improved to 14-5, and 9-2 on the road. That’s the best road record in the WNBA so far. The Sky dropped to 6-13 and are fighting to stay in the playoff picture. But this wasn’t really about Chicago. This was about a superstar refusing to let a rolled ankle stop her from making history.
The Aces have a brutal test next. They head to New York to face the Liberty on Tuesday. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. ET. If Wilson’s ankle is fine, the Liberty are going to have their hands full.
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