Aces vs. Lynx: A'ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray Survive Olivia Miles' Career-High 29 in 100-97 Las Vegas Win

Olivia Miles had just done the thing rookies are not supposed to do in Las Vegas. With 24.5 seconds left, she rose up from 26 feet, stepped back into a 3 and gave the Minnesota Lynx a 97-96 lead, her 29th point of a career night. For about four seconds, she owned the Michelob ULTRA Arena.

Then the Aces did what the Aces do. A'ja Wilson hit two free throws at 20.5, Chelsea Gray hit two more at 3.5, and Las Vegas beat Minnesota 100-97 on Saturday night in a game that felt every bit as big as the standings said it was. The Aces won their sixth straight. The Lynx saw an eight-game winning streak end. Miles missed a 3 with seven seconds left, Courtney Williams missed another in the final second, and the house collected.

Gray Starts Hot, Miles Finishes Hotter

Gray came out as if she had never left Thursday night's game. She hit four 3s in the first quarter alone, tying her season high for a period and scoring 12 of her 23 in those 10 minutes, and Las Vegas shot 61.9 percent to lead 32-21. The Aces had it 16-6 at one point, and Minnesota looked like a team that had wandered into the wrong meeting.

It did not stay that way. Miles put up 13 in the second quarter, half of Minnesota's scoring in the period came from 3, and the Lynx closed the half on a 16-7 run to get within 57-51. Las Vegas stretched it back to 11 in the third before a 9-2 Minnesota push made it 69-65. Gray's sixth 3 restored some order, Jackie Young scored 11 in the period, and it was 78-71 going to the fourth.

The Aces again pushed the lead to double figures at 89-79. Then the Lynx got serious. Kayla McBride's three-point play and 24-foot 3 bookended an 8-0 run that made it 89-87 with 2:47 left. Wilson blocked Williams at one end and buried a 15-footer at the other for a 93-89 cushion, but Miles scored the next five, finishing with a three-point play that put Minnesota ahead 94-93 with 48 seconds to go. It was the Lynx's first lead since 8:01 of the first quarter.

Las Vegas got it right back. McBride fouled Jewell Loyd behind the arc, and Loyd, who had not been to the line all night, made all three. That set up Miles' dagger, and the final frantic exchange at the line.

A Rookie Almost Stole the Building

Miles was the story even in defeat. She scored 29 on 11-of-20 shooting with three 3s, going 4-of-4 at the line, and 12 of those points came in the fourth. A career high by a rookie, on the road, with the West lead in the Commissioner's Cup on the line, is an awfully loud way to introduce yourself. The six turnovers are the only blemish on the sheet.

She had plenty of help. Natasha Howard scored 22 on 8-of-12 with nine rebounds and four steals before fouling out, McBride had 19 and Williams 17. Minnesota shot 49 percent and made 9-of-21 from deep, numbers that win most nights.

Wilson's 24 points and 10 rebounds came with three blocks and that enormous fourth-quarter sequence against Williams. According to the team, she has now scored at least 20 in a league-high 11 consecutive games, the fourth-longest such streak in WNBA history, and her 97 games with 20 points and 10 rebounds trail only Tina Charles' 110.

Gray's six 3s were historic in their own way. The team says they gave her 15 over two games, tying the WNBA record for a two-game span held by Diana Taurasi and, in a nice bit of timing, McBride. Young quietly ran the show, posting 16 points and 10 assists for her second double-double of the season. NaLyssa Smith went 7-of-9 for 15.

The Bench Math

The deciding factor was not any one shot in that final minute. It was the Aces' depth across 40 minutes. Minnesota's five starters actually outscored Las Vegas' five, 90-78, and the Lynx still lost. Las Vegas got 22 points from its bench, with Cheyenne Parker-Tyus and Loyd each scoring nine, while Minnesota got only seven. That gap was bigger than the final margin.

The Aces also made every free throw that mattered. They shot a season-high 89.5 percent at the line, going 17-of-19, and scored their final seven points from the stripe. When a tight game comes down to whether anyone will flinch, Las Vegas' answer was a calm no.

Stats That Matter

• 24-16: Las Vegas' edge in assists on an identical 36 made field goals.
• 11-of-25: The Aces from 3-point range, with Gray responsible for more than half of those makes.
• 17-of-19: Las Vegas at the line, against 16-of-18 for Minnesota.
• 22-7: The Aces' advantage in bench points.
• 18-11: Minnesota's edge in points off turnovers, the main reason the Lynx were still there at the end.

What It Means

Las Vegas and Minnesota are both 10-3 overall, but only one of them owns the West lead in the Commissioner's Cup after this. The Aces are 5-0 in Cup play, while the Lynx are 4-1, and the top team from each conference plays for the title on June 30. Las Vegas is only 3-2 at home yet has won six in a row. The team also says it has scored at least 100 in three straight games, matching the WNBA record for consecutive 100-point games. The Aces visit Dallas on Monday.

Minnesota dropped to 5-1 on the road and hosts Portland on Monday.

There is an old rule about this town, and Miles learned it in real time on Saturday. You can get hot, you can have the best night of your career, you can even have the lead with 24 seconds left. In Las Vegas, the house still gets the last hand.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game notes from the Las Vegas Aces. Additional details as reported by the Associated Press.