Aces vs. Storm: A'ja Wilson Becomes Fastest in WNBA History to 6,000 Career Points in 101-91 Win

A'ja Wilson walked into Michelob ULTRA Arena on Monday night needing 30 points to reach 6,000 for her career, which is a wild thing to say about a routine Monday. She had 21 by halftime. With a little more than five minutes to play she snagged an offensive rebound to lock up a double-double, and moments later she took a Chelsea Gray pass and pulled up for the jumper that got her there.

Wilson's final line read 34 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks and nine assists, Jackie Young poured in 29, and the Las Vegas Aces took care of the Seattle Storm 101-91. Along the way Wilson became the fastest player in WNBA history to 6,000 career points, getting there in 278 games, 13 quicker than Diana Taurasi's 291. Nobody is supposed to do this at that speed.

The Storm Kept Knocking, the Aces Kept Changing the Locks

Seattle came out with an 8-0 run for an 8-2 lead, and Dominique Malonga scored 12 in the first quarter alone. Wilson answered with 14 of her own in the period, six of them at the line, but the Storm still took a 25-23 edge into the second.

Las Vegas flipped the game from there. The Aces opened the second quarter on a 19-6 run, and a 12-0 stretch inside it turned a 31-30 deficit into a 42-31 lead. The Storm made it 50-43 by halftime and hung around for most of the third, getting within 63-57 late in the period before a 9-2 Vegas closing kick made it 72-59.

Seattle refused to read the room. An 11-4 run in the first three minutes of the fourth trimmed it to 76-70, and for a moment the Aces had to play some actual defense. Young's three settled things down, and the lead swung between seven and 11 from there. Vegas led 92-81 with under four minutes left, then Young buried threes at 1:39 and 1:05, the second one Las Vegas' 10th of the night and the shot that pushed the Aces past 100. Natisha Hiedeman's 30-footer at the horn gave the Storm 32 points in the quarter, a very nice number that changed nothing.

Thirty-Four, Twelve, Nine and a Milestone

The scoring line is the headline, but look at the rest of it. Wilson went 10 of 19 from the field, 3 of 5 from three, and 11 of 13 at the line. The three makes from deep matched her career high, the nine assists were a new career best, and she finished one dime short of a triple-double while also blocking three shots. She is the 19th player in the league's 30-year history to reach 6,000, and the Aces note she is both the fastest and the youngest to do it, at 29 years and 304 days.

Young was the perfect second act: 29 points on 10-of-19 shooting, 4 of 9 from three, six assists and 14 points in the fourth quarter alone. NaLyssa Smith scored 16 on a flawless 6-of-6 from the field and pulled down nine rebounds. Gray added 12 points and eight assists, part of a night when Vegas assisted on 27 of its 35 made baskets. Jewell Loyd had a quieter time against her former team, with five points on 2-of-7 shooting.

Seattle got 19 points from Malonga in just 17 minutes, with five fouls limiting her. Hiedeman scored 17 and hit four threes, Awa Fam added 16, and Flau'jae Johnson had 13 points and seven assists. Jordan Horston went 0 for 7, though she did collect seven rebounds and three steals. The Storm's bench won its matchup 26-7.

Smith's And-One Changed the Night

The hinge came with seven minutes left in the first half. Seattle had just edged ahead at 31-30 in a quarter that already featured five lead changes and a tie. Smith converted a three-point play, the Aces took a lead they would never give back, and that basket started a 12-0 run in which she scored eight.

That is the part of this game that will not make the milestone highlight package, and it is the part that decided it. Seattle kept scoring all night, finishing at 45% from the field and 44% from three. It just spent the final 27 minutes trying to make up ground. Once that run was over, the Storm cut the gap to six on several occasions and never got any closer. When the other team has a player capable of a 34-12-9 night, close is not going to cut it.

Stats That Matter

• 278: Games for Wilson to reach 6,000 career points. Taurasi's previous mark was 291.
• 39-27: The Aces' rebounding edge, which helped produce a 17-8 margin in second-chance points.
• 21 of 24: Vegas at the free-throw line, against 13 of 15 for Seattle.
• 19-10: Seattle's edge in points off turnovers. The Aces' 13 giveaways were the main reason this stayed interesting.
• 12 of 27: Seattle's three-point shooting, a hot night that still ended in a 10-point loss.

What It Means

Las Vegas has won four straight and is 8-3 overall and 3-0 in Commissioner's Cup play, although this was only its second home win in four tries. Wilson owns a league-high five straight 20-10 games in 2026. Coach Becky Hammon also became the third-fastest in WNBA history to 125 regular-season wins, getting there in her 171st game. Next up is a Thursday trip to Portland.

Seattle has dropped six in a row, sits at 3-10 and is 1-6 on the road. Los Angeles visits on Wednesday.

Speedrunning the All-Time List

Gamers have a word for this: a speedrun. Skip the cutscenes, clear the level, beat the old record by 13 games and move on to the next boss. Wilson's 6,004 points leave her 19th on the league's all-time list, and the next two bosses are practically in the same room: Seimone Augustus at 6,005 and Lauren Jackson at 6,007. Thursday could be a very short level.

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