Jackie Young Dropped 31 Points in a Loss. Her Coach Blamed Everyone But Her.

The Las Vegas Aces walked into Barclays Center without the reigning MVP and still nearly pulled off something special. A’ja Wilson sat out with a leg injury she picked up Sunday against Chicago. But Jackie Young decided that wasn’t going to be the story.

Young scored 31 points on 12-of-21 shooting. She grabbed two boards, dished seven assists and swiped two steals. In the second half alone she dropped 25 points and single-handedly erased a 17-point New York Liberty lead. The Aces actually took a two-point lead in the fourth quarter after trailing most of the night. That’s when the Liberty answered with a 15-2 run that changed everything.

With 37 seconds left and the Aces down five, Young drove and missed a layup that would have cut the deficit to three. Sabrina Ionescu made her pay on the other end with a dagger three-pointer. Game over. Liberty wins the Commissioner’s Cup 93-85.

After the game, Aces coach Becky Hammon wasn’t interested in pinning this one on her star guard.

“Thought she played phenomenal,” Hammon said, via the Associated Press. “That shot wasn’t what won or lost the game. She’s a perfectionist, demands a lot out of herself. Needs to give herself a little more grace.”

Young, a three-time WNBA champion, wasn’t letting herself off the hook that easy.

“I do what I can to help our team win. Unfortunately, we fell short tonight,” she said.

The Aces dropped to 14-5 with the loss, their second in four games. That’s still the second-best record in the league, but the margin for error gets thinner every week. The Liberty are 16-3 and look every bit the team that pushed Vegas to four games in last year’s finals.

What makes this loss sting a little more is the context. Wilson’s status going forward is the giant question mark hanging over this team. If she misses significant time, Young is going to have to carry an even heavier load. And based on what we saw Tuesday, she’s capable of it. The Aces just need a little more help around her.

Las Vegas gets a shot at redemption Friday when they host the Chicago Sky. The same Sky team that handed Wilson her leg injury. Should be interesting.