August 13, 2026 - 9:18 pm

The three-time WNBA champions are heading back to the WNBA playoffs for the eighth consecutive season.

The Las Vegas Aces defeated the Washington Mystics 83-76 while the Los Angeles Sparks fell on the road against the New York Liberty, securing the franchise’s opportunity at a fourth league title in five years.

The Aces sit third in the WNBA standings with nine games remaining on their regular-season schedule.

Guard Jackie Young led Las Vegas with a season-high 32 points, adding two rebounds and five assists as the Aces completed a two-game sweep of the Mystics and secured the regular-season series.

“It is now a couple of games in a row that we have won fourth quarters,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said. “It has been a little bit of a struggle area for us, but I see our defense picking up.”

Young also moved closer to two career milestones: She needs one made free throw to reach 750 for her career and one assist to pass Odyssey Sims for No. 28 on the WNBA’s all-time list.

Although A’ja Wilson did not record her third double-double in five games, the four-time MVP still had 15 points, six rebounds, four assists and two blocks.

Wilson needs one more block to become the sixth player in WNBA history to reach 600.

The Aces entered Thursday coming off an 86-76 victory over Washington on Tuesday that snapped the Mystics’ seven-game winning streak. Thursday’s win gave Las Vegas its sixth victory in its past 10 games, improving to 10-5 at home this season.

“We were able to do enough on the offensive end to get out of here,” Hammon said, “but it is tough to beat a team back-to-back in itself.”

Despite losing the rebounding battle 35-27, Las Vegas made its 3-point shooting count down the stretch, knocking down six 3-pointers in the second half to help build a game-high 12-point lead in the fourth quarter.

The Aces also continued their defensive success, holding Washington under 80 points for the second consecutive game and the 10th time this season.

“That is a tough team to hold in the 70s when they have that kind of firepower,” Hammon said. “They can put a burden on us in the paint, but I thought we didn’t let anybody else get off, which was great.”

Las Vegas forced 17 turnovers, including 11 in the first half, creating additional scoring opportunities that helped maintain its advantage.

“I thought we stole some possessions late with the zone,” Hammon said. “We just have to stay one possession at a time, and eventually over the course of the game we have six, seven, eight possessions.

“That is starting to build a good base and a good toolbox for where we can use it later in the playoffs.”

The turning point came in the final 10 minutes when Young ignited a 9-0 run, knocking down four of five free-throw attempts during the stretch and gave Las Vegas a 74-64 lead.

Center Shakira Austin led Washington with 29 points and eight rebounds while shooting 60 percent from the field, extending her streak of games with at least 15 points to nine consecutive games.

The Aces will continue their five-game homestand Saturday against the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx.

Las Vegas has split its first two meetings with Minnesota this season, winning 100-97 on June 13 before falling 98-87 last Saturday in Minneapolis.