Aces vs. Sparks: A'ja Wilson and Jackie Young Post Double-Doubles as Las Vegas Clinches Home Court

Before tipoff, Las Vegas handed Nneka Ogwumike a bouquet of flowers and a standing ovation. After tipoff, the Aces handed her team a loss. Respect is one thing. Seeding is another.

The Las Vegas Aces beat the Los Angeles Sparks 89-79 on Tuesday night at Michelob ULTRA Arena, with A'ja Wilson posting 18 points and 10 rebounds and Jackie Young adding 14 points and 11 assists. The win was the Aces' sixth straight, and according to the AP, it locked up no worse than the No. 3 seed, guaranteeing Las Vegas home court in the opening round.

A 15-0 Run Sets the Tone

Los Angeles actually started well, jumping out to a 5-2 lead. Then the Aces went on one of those runs that make opposing coaches stare at the ceiling. Las Vegas scored 15 straight points between the 7:37 and 2:14 marks of the first quarter to go up 17-5, and per the team, four different Aces scored during the spurt while the Sparks went 0 for 6 from the floor and turned it over five times.

It was 24-11 after one. The 68th consecutive sellout crowd at the arena, as the team counted it, had settled in for an easy night.

The Sparks Refuse to Go Away

Los Angeles did not get the memo. Down 35-18 in the second quarter after back-to-back Aces 3s, the Sparks reeled off 11 unanswered points to make it 35-29 by the 2:20 mark. Jewell Loyd finally stopped the bleeding with a 3, and the teams traded baskets the rest of the way to a 42-33 halftime score.

The third quarter stayed tight for a while, with Los Angeles hanging within single digits at 53-45. Then Las Vegas pulled away for good. A 10-0 run between 2:58 and 1:16 pushed the lead to 63-45, with Loyd hitting back-to-back 3s in that stretch, and the Aces led 65-51 after three.

Wilson, Young and a Balanced Attack

Wilson was steady rather than spectacular, which for her counts as a quiet night. She finished 7 of 15 from the field with 18 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks, and she even hit her lone 3-point attempt. The team said it was her 19th double-double of the season and the 139th of her career, and that her run of 64 straight games in double figures leads the league.

Young ran the show with 14 points and 11 assists for a double-double of her own. According to the team, those 11 assists moved her past Kristi Toliver into the No. 25 spot on the WNBA's all-time assist list with 1,311.

Chelsea Gray scored 17 on 7-of-12 shooting. Stephanie Talbot went 6 of 8 for 14 points and added three steals. The team said those 14 points were a season high, beating her previous best of 10, set May 31 at Golden State. Loyd added nine points on three 3-pointers, and every one of the 10 Aces who played scored, including Ta'Niya Latson, who had three points in three minutes and the final Aces basket.

The Aces won the transition battle in a landslide, with a 22-10 edge in fast-break points, and they hit 11 of 28 from deep compared with 7 of 21 for the Sparks. Las Vegas also turned 13 Los Angeles turnovers into 18 points.

Ogwumike's Last Night in Las Vegas

Ogwumike made the most of what the team called her final game in Las Vegas. She led the Sparks with 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting and nine rebounds, and she hit a 25-foot 3 and an 18-foot pullup during a late push. The AP noted that she is an eight-time All-Star and the 2016 MVP, and that she announced on Aug. 19 that she would retire after this season.

Erica Wheeler added 16 points and five assists, and Tonie Morgan scored 14 on 6-of-7 shooting off the bench. Morgan was the only Spark with a positive plus-minus. Per the AP, the Sparks were missing Dearica Hamby (left knee) and Cameron Brink (right ankle).

The Sparks made it interesting late. They outscored the Aces 28-24 in the fourth, and Monique Akoa Makani's three-point play with one minute left made it 87-78. But Latson answered with a running layup at 21.5 seconds, and that was that.

The Turning Point

The 10-0 run late in the third quarter. Los Angeles had kept the third quarter within single digits for most of the period and was one good run away from making it a real game heading into the fourth. Instead, Loyd's back-to-back 3s and an Aces defense that held the Sparks scoreless for nearly two minutes turned a manageable deficit into an 18-point hole.

Stats That Matter

• 15-0: The Aces' first-quarter run, from 5-2 down to 17-5 up.
• 22-10: Las Vegas' edge in fast-break points.
• 11 of 28: The Aces' 3-point shooting.
• 11: Young's assists, moving her to No. 25 on the WNBA's all-time list per the team.
• 6-of-7: Morgan's shooting off the Sparks' bench.

What It Means

Las Vegas moves to 30-13, including 15-7 at home, and has won six in a row heading into Thursday's regular-season finale at Phoenix. With at least the No. 3 seed secured, the Aces will open the playoffs at home. They also took the season series from Los Angeles, 3-1.

The Sparks fall to 16-27, including 8-14 on the road. They close their season Thursday at home against Golden State. Two nights earlier, Ogwumike became the fourth player in WNBA history to reach 8,000 points, according to the AP, so she has given Los Angeles plenty to remember on the way out.

Closing Take

Farewell tours are tricky. The hosts are supposed to roll out the red carpet, but they still have to beat you. Las Vegas did both. Ogwumike got the flowers, the ovation and a solid 17-and-9 night. The Aces got the win, the home court and another reminder that, when they are clicking, their depth can bury teams in a hurry. Somewhere between the bouquet and the box score, the Aces made it clear they are not interested in being anybody's sentimental storyline this postseason.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game details as reported by the Associated Press and the Las Vegas Aces' official game recap.