July 28, 2026 - 9:08 pm

July has been good to A’ja Wilson.

The WNBA’s four-time MVP has averaged 27.4 points and 10 rebounds a game during the month and Tuesday night was no different.

Wilson’s 13th double-double of the season propelled the Las Vegas Aces to a 98-83 victory over the Portland Fire, pulling the Aces to a tie with the Golden State Valkyries for second place in the WNBA.

She finished with 28 points and 14 rebounds, leading the Aces in scoring for the 14th time in 27 games this season.

The victory improved the Aces to 19-8, marking their fifth win in the last six games while completing a season sweep of the expansion Fire in their first game back from the week-long All-Star break.

“We were pretty good,” said Aces head coach Becky Hammon. “Everybody is just trying to get back into a rhythm, and it is hard to replicate game flow in just one day of practice.

“Obviously I am a little paranoid about people getting injured, so I went a little lighter for sure, but it was a good game to get back in charge for a little bit.”

Chelsea Gray added 17 points and seven assists, becoming the seventh player in franchise history to reach 4,500 career points while moving into eighth on the Aces’ all-time 2-point field goals list.

Aces forward NaLyssa Smith was a late addition to Tuesday’s inactive list and was not on the Las Vegas bench. During the game, she announced on social media that she is battling an illness.

The defending champions wasted little time taking control, opening the game on an 18-4 run and built a double-digit lead less than two minutes into the contest while knocking down seven of their first nine 3-point attempts.

The Fire trimmed the deficit to single digits in the third quarter, but the Aces responded with a 16-6 run and regained control.

Las Vegas never trailed, marking just its second wire-to-wire victory of the season. The other came in the franchise’s largest margin of victory, a blowout win over the Phoenix Mercury on July 11.

“We have really talked about our defense, and when we’re active we’re super athletic, and I think sometimes we forget that, Aces guard Jewell Loyd said.“We have to try and remind ourselves that we could be in a passing lane to help a little bit and communicate.

“It makes defense way better when you’re able to be more active, and we just had a point of emphasis on that today.”

Former Aces center Megan DiLeo led the Fire with 20 points and six rebounds while shooting 61% from the field on 13 attempts.

The Fire have lost four of their last six games and fell to 5-10 on the road in their inaugural season.

“We want to build habits, and we want to build a level of consistency,” Hammon said. “I want to see the defensive end of the floor being played first and foremost. We need to be locked in on that end, and then I think we become a very tough team to beat.

“I’ve said it before: When we play defense, we become an elite team and when we don’t, we become a very beatable team.”

The Aces continue their three-game homestand Thursday in a rematch of the Commissioner’s Cup championship against the New York Liberty.

The Liberty enter the game third in the Eastern Conference at 15-12 but have won both meetings with Las Vegas this season.